Bloody Brilliant
by VampireKissesxoxoxo
Summary: When Luna returns to Dullsville, she brings along a face of Alexander's past. Will Raven and Alexander's love survive this secretive summer, or is everything about to fall apart? COMPLETE
1. Introduction

**Bloody Brilliant**

Moonlight. The familiar light greeted Alexander and me as we trudged down Benson Hill. He held a black rose in his left hand to decorate his grandmother's grave with. His right hand held my left one.

"It's nearly the end of the school year," I informed him. "Pretty soon I'm going to be stuck in school with Trevor while you're in the mansion. Unless..."

Alexander looked back at me, his eyes dark and esoteric. "No, Raven. Don't you understand what you're asking of me? You're seventeen now. I thought you'd understand what you're asking of me, and why I can't do this. Not right now."

"I know that you think that if you change me, I'll hate what I've become and blame you, but have you ever thought that I'd be miserable if you _didn't_ change me? It's getting harder to go to places during the day, Alexander. I just wish I could be like you."

"I want you," Alexander replied slowly, "to be _you_. I love you the way you are right now. Let's not try to change that, all right?"

We were about to cross the road when I noticed a familiar sportscar heading our way. But it began slowing down when the driver, my nemesis Trevor Mitchell, saw us.

"Monster Girl." He sneered at me, then turned his attention to Alexander. "Monster Boy."

"Good evening, Trevor." Alexander sounded as if he was holding something back.

Trevor was taken aback by Alexander's kindness. "Uh, right. Anyways, Monsters, I'm heading over to Matt's party."

"And we care because?" I asked.

Trevor laughed. "Farmer Becky must not have told you, huh? She's there right now, probably clinging on to him like a desperate little-"

"Don't talk about Becky like that," I said in a low voice, "before I choke you with my Hello Batty belt."

Trevor laughed. Turning to Alexander, he said coolly, "You two must be _so_ much fun at parties."

"Have a nice night, Trevor," Alexander answered coldly. "If you'll excuse us, Raven and I are heading somewhere. We don't have time for witty banter."

I could tell Alexander was done with his be-nice-to-Trevor act.

Trevor laughed. "Right. Who would want you two to visit?" But before we could reply, Trevor sped away.

We continued walking to the cemetery, all the while discussing the possibility of me becoming a vampire.

"I'm just saying, I don't want to turn you so soon. It's been only a year, Raven." His eyes burned with intensity. "It's much too soon to turn you."

Gazing down at my combat boots, I whispered. "It's never too soon. Everything's turning into a burden for me. School. My family. The only relaxation time I can get is when I'm with you. Just...please consider turning me."

"When you're finished college," Alexander decided. "After you're through with your studies. That's when I'll turn you."

"But by then, I'll be twenty-one. Far too old for you. And besides, there are younger vamps in the world. I'm just worried that...if you don't turn me soon, you'll lose interest in me when I am older, and you'll find another girl."

"You're worried about _me_ finding somebody? Raven, I'm worried about _you_ finding somebody. Or, at least, somebody finding you. Trevor likes you, you know. And he gets to be around you during the day. I myself have only a few hours in your company."

I looked up at him through my eyelashes. I'd never thought that Alexander was worried about our time together.

"What are you saying, then?" I asked nervously.

"I will turn you. When you're eighteen. Only a year away, Raven, so I'm sure you can - no, _will _- wait."

Alexander set the black rose onto his grandmother's monument and stepped back. In that short time, it disappeared.

"What the-" Alexander looked around frantically.

The cemetery was silent, except for the sound of our breathing. No footsteps. No rustling of the leaves.

Far away, I heard the sound of Old Jim's dog Luke barking. I knew that Old Jim would soon come out to investigate.

"We have to go." I grasped Alexander's arm.

Alexander stopped me. "Hold on. I think Jag-"

"Missed me?" a voice asked from behind us. "Thanks for the rose. It's my favorite."


	2. Chapter One

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter One**

Luna Maxwell stood in the dim light of the cemetery. Her perfectly blown-out hot pink hair, pale skin, and tight lace dress definitely surpassed my black combat boots and Edward Scissorhands T-shirt dress. She was twirling the black rose in her fingers, as if the thorns didn't prick her.

"Good evening, Raven. Alexander." Her hypnotic eyes bore into mine. "So, you two meet on sacred ground a lot?"

"We came together," Alexander replied. "We're not having a covenant ceremony yet."

"Yet? So she is still not a vampire. How disappointing. I'll just _have_ to tell Jagger about this." Her cotton candy coloured lips pulled back into what some might call a smirk. I saw it as a threat. "He'll be just dying to change that for you."

She turned to Alexander. "You haven't been so innocent, have you?"

Alexander seemed confused. "What are you talking about, Luna?"

"I'm talking about the girlfriend you left behind in Romania." Luna smiled. "I got a hold of her, and she was so surprised when she heard that you were here. She had the strangest idea that you would come back for her." Her eyes scanned my entire body. "But I told her you got a little sidetracked."

I turned to Alexander, hoping for an explanation. He had a girlfriend? I can't believe this. I thought that Alexander had only Luna back then, and even at that time he didn't want her.

Alexander looked at me, an emotion I've never seen in his eyes flashing back at me. Could it be shock? Or something else? Something that I've always feared that would shine in his eyes.

"Hello, Alexander."

Luna smiled wickedly, then stepped aside.

A girl just as tall as me smiled brightly at us. I looked over her and immediately felt sick.

Matte black lipstick coated her perfect lips. Her lacy clothing clung to her petite but curvy body, leaving gaps of pale skin showing, which made her look extremely sultry. Her midnight hair had a streak of bubble-gum pink in it. Her eye makeup was smoky and flawless.

She was everything I wanted to be. And she used to be with my Alexander.

My Alexander, who wasn't moving an inch since the girl appeared.

"Do you remember me?" she asked softly, her Romanian accent rolling gently on her tongue. "Alexander, I've waited so long to see you again. And now, here we are. On sacred ground."

"Alexander," I asked nervously, "who's this?"

The girl looked at me, then let out a small giggle. "I'm Demile Havena. You must be the homewrecker. I mean, Raven."

I glared at her.

"Luna's told me so much about your adventures here," Demile whispered, stepping closer to Alexander. Her outstretched hands even had the perfect black French manicure. She touched his shoulders. "I heard that you've fallen in love with...her."

I knew she was referring to me, and I was getting angry. Not only was she invading our privacy, but she was touching Alexander.

And he wasn't doing anything about it.

Alexander stared back at Demile with cold eyes.

"You have to leave," he told her. "I'm not the same guy I was back in Romania. I think it is time for you to go."

Demile laughed. "I can't leave, Alexander. Not until you promise to leave with me."

"He won't. He loves _me_, not you." I stepped closer to her. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm Alexander's girlfriend. He loves me."

"He doesn't love you, he's been using you as a replacement! You look a little bit like me. Obviously Alexander was using you as a placeholder for me while I was still in Romania. But now, I'm here, and Alexander and I can return together." Demile smiled. "You might as well kiss your 'boyfriend' good-bye."

I looked over at Alexander. His eyes were still shining with the same emotion, with a little something mixed in. I recognized it immediately.

Regret.


	3. Chapter Two

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Two**

Alexander pushed Demile's hands off of himself. Turning to me, he murmured, "Raven...It's not what you think. Trust me."

"What do you think I think?" I asked gently. I was scared of what might happen next.

"You might be thinking that Demile and I are..._were_ together." Alexander looked nervous, if not a little fearful. "We're not, by the way. She was just a family friend."

Somehow, I didn't believe him. For once in my life, I didn't believe in my Alexander. Something about his stance, his expression, made me feel unsure about his words.

I turned to Demile. "How do you know him?"

"Other than being his girlfriend?" She let out a high-pitched giggle. "Well, we met in Romania, in the cemetery. It kind of looked like this one. And he told me that he'd never met someone as beautiful as me."

I raised an eyebrow. This sounded more like a line from a Nicholas Sparks novel. But she continued on, as if she wasn't lying.

"The next night, he took me to the cemetery for a lovely picnic among the dead. It was quite a thrill, because at the time I was human, and wanting to be what I suspected him to be.

"I found out on our fifth date that he was a vampire. I asked him to turn me. So we met on sacred ground..."

I felt sick. Alexander had changed Demile?

"...And it was the most romantic thing in the world. He had covered a casket with a black lace cloth, and he had lit some candles. But, to my surprise, he didn't want to change me. At the very last second, he told me that he could not go through with it, and explained his situation with the Maxwells, and how it would go down the following day. Depressed, I left. Of course," she added, shooting him a glare, "that was the last time I'd seen him."

So Alexander almost changed Demile, all because she'd just flat out asked him to? I'd asked him to do that plenty of times, but never has he actually caved and just done it.

"I got turned by Alexander's friend, Sebastian. Not on sacred ground, so I was pretty annoyed. Sebastian was handsome. But not as breathtaking as Alexander." Demile smiled at me. Or was it leered? "But not to worry. Alexander will come back with me, _after_ we are binded on sacred ground."

Alexander exhaled loudly. "Demile, I will never bind myself to you. Ever. I love Raven. The way you explained our 'relationship' - it's all a lie. I never took you anywhere, because I wanted you to leave me alone. I never agreed to that ceremony, nevertheless planned it. I showed up at the graveyard, and you had everything set up. I was going to meet you to tell you about the Maxwells, not to bite you."

Demile frowned at me. "Is this the girl that's keeping us away from each other? We can drain her, love. She'll be gone soon, if you'd like."

"I wouldn't like," Alexander growled. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'd like to leave."

He grasped my hand. Although he wasn't as assuring as before, I followed after him.


	4. Chapter Three

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Three**

We ran back to the mansion. The tension between us was growing, and I knew that as soon as we crossed the doorway that I would bombard him with questions. He acted, however, that it was just an average day, with the exception of the rushing.

We stood awkwardly in the drawing room. Jameson was on a date with Ruby, by the looks of the note he'd left for Alexander. We were all alone. I was hurt. He was silent.

"Raven," he finally whispered. He wrapped his arms around me and I pressed my face to his shirt. I was so upset by Demile's sudden entrance. Her story was so painful to listen to, even if it was only a lie.

"I want to go home, Alexander," I mumbled into his chest. "I don't feel so good. I think it's best if I leave now."

"I'll walk you." Alexander pulled away, scanning my face with worried eyes. "We need to talk about this. About everything."

I stared up at him, straight into his chocolate-brown eyes. "I'm not ready to."

**^o^ (A/N This is supposed to be a bat)  
**

I was wide awake at nine-fifty P.M. when Billy Boy stormed into my room, hollering, "Raven! Alexander's on the phone!"

I groaned and buried my face into my pillow. I didn't feel like talking to Alexander right now. It had been two days since Demile had arrived in the dead of night, destroying my happiness with Alexander. Ever since I'd left the mansion alone (I told Alexander I was going to the bathroom, then made a run for it), he's been calling non-stop to explain.

"Raven!"

"Billy, just tell him I'm not feeling well." I was attempting to go to sleep, but all of the drama was keeping me up.

Billy Boy looked strangely at me, since I haven't called him Billy in forever, but he told the phone that I was sick. After a few seconds, Billy pressed the END CALL button and stated, "Alexander says that he wants you to come over tomorrow night."

I sighed. "Okay."

Billy Boy left the room, and I pressed my face against my Domo plushie. When Alexander requests a meeting, you have to go to that meeting. I knew that if you skip out on him, Jameson or Alexander will hop into their Mercedes and search for you.

I closed my eyes and tried to drift off. After a few seconds, it felt like it was working.

A rock smacked my bedroom window. I groaned and sat up. Looking out the window, I saw the outline of a figure in the backyard, looking up at me.

Alexander motioned for me to open the window. I sighed and obliged.

"Raven, I'm so sorry," he apologized quickly. "I know that Demile is conniving, but I had no idea she was this evil. She's tearing us apart, and I don't want to lose you because of what some girl says. Please listen to me."

I picked up Nightmare, my ebony kitten, and frowned at him.


	5. Chapter Four

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Author's Note:**

This is technically my first fanfiction ever on , and I'm really happy that I got such positive feedback! Before I begin the next chapter, I'd just like to thank a few people:

**Mrs. Alexander Sterling**: Thanks for reading. I'm glad you like it. Judging by your username, I figured that you probably read a lot of Vampire Kisses fanfics. Thanks for reading mine.

**emodinosaurX3**: Thank you so much! I had no idea if anybody was going to like this, but I'm really glad that you're enjoying this. Hope you're still hooked after this chapter!

**K-Popgirl**: Thanks! :D

Now, on to the story!

**Chapter Four**

Alexander stared soulfully at me. "Please. I'll do anything for you to listen. When I had ran away twice, you had followed me, demanding an explanation. This time, I'll save you the trouble."

Nightmare purred in my arms.

I sighed. "I don't know what to say."

"Say, 'I'll be down there in a minute'," Alexander begged. "I have so much to tell you, and so little time to do it."

So little time? What was he talking about?

Dropping Nightmare on my bed, I shrugged on a sleeveless black dress and pulled on my scuffed combat boots. I skipped applying my makeup, because I had a strange feeling that if I did, I would have it running down my cheeks in a few minutes.

I swung open the front door carelessly. My parents were already sleeping, so I didn't have to worry about them catching me. And if Billy Boy ends up ratting me out, I'll be fine with it. I've been in more trouble than just sneaking out to meet Alexander. Including almost getting bitten by vampires in the Coffin Club.

Alexander grabbed my hand. Not forcefully, of course, but like an eager school boy finally getting to hold the hand of the girl of his dreams.

"Demile is a liar," he declared.

"Tell me something I don't know," I muttered.

Alexander scanned my face. "Hey, you're not wearing any makeup tonight."

"Is that a problem with you?" I snapped. I will admit, I get a little crabby when I haven't had at least eight hours of sleep.

Alexander chuckled softly. "Not at all. You look beautiful."

"Where are we going?" I asked him, as he led me down the sidewalk. "Are we going to the mansion?"

"The cemetery," he replied smoothly. "It's better there, for explanations."

I growled under my breath, hoping that Alexander wouldn't hear, "Demile better not be there."

Alexander did hear. "She isn't. Luna and Demile have left for Romania. I talked them into it. If you had taken any of my phone calls recently, you would have known that."

But he didn't sound annoyed at me. He sounded somewhat happier now. I noticed a new spring in his step, and he was acting a little more confident.

"Why are we going to the cemetery?" I wondered.

Alexander laughed. "I've given your request a lot of thought."

"What request?" Then it hit me. Me wanting to turn into a vampire, and being bound to him forever. "And...?"

"It gets lonely at the mansion. My only companion sometimes is Jameson." Alexander gently stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. "But, if you'll agree to my terms, it won't be so lonely anymore."

I gasped. Could it be? Could Alexander really be giving into my demand to be a vampire?

**^o^**

Alexander and I stood at his grandmother's monument. He had produced a bouquet of black roses, and I was now holding them. I felt like a bride in a gothic wedding. Except, instead of a diamond ring, I was going to be sporting two vampire bites.

Alexander smiled at me, revealing his vampire fangs. They glistened in the moonlight.

I tilted my head slightly to the right, exposing the left side of my neck. I was prepared to give away my human life, and begin my vampire one, with Alexander.

He leaned into my neck. I could feel his hot breath on my neck.

"I love you, Raven," he whispered, before lowering his mouth onto my jugular.

But before he could bite me, a familiar voice interrupted him. "I love her, too."


	6. Chapter Five

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Five**

Trevor Mitchell stood ten feet away, his hands clenched into tight fists at his side. He was wearing a simple red T-shirt and black jeans, and his hair was as messy as if he'd just woken up.

"What are you doing here, Soccer Snob?" I asked him. Alexander straightened up, frowning at our intruder.

"I think it is time for you to leave, Trevor," he commented. "This is a very private moment for Raven and me. If you'd kindly exit through the gates-"

"Not so fast, Monster Boy." He pointed from me to Alexander, then back again. "What were you doing to Raven?"

I quickly stated, "Just kissing me."

Alexander simultaneously said, "Trevor, don't make me do this."

I looked at Alexander. His gaze was fixed on Trevor. His fingers were bent, in preparation for a fight.

I grabbed his arm. "Alexander, don't do this!" I exclaimed. "Trevor's not worth it!"

"Why do you care about him, all of a sudden?" Alexander sounded annoyed. "Why are you trying to stop me from giving Trevor what he deserves? Is there something going on here, Raven?"

I've never heard Alexander so annoyed before.

Trevor grinned, obviously from having found Alexander's weakness. "You're worried that Monster Girl and I are together, aren't you, Monster Boy?" He stepped closer to Alexander, smirking. "I know what you are, Sterling. You don't scare me."

"You - you _know_?" I gasped. "How'd you find out?"

"I pieced it together," Trevor laughed. "First of all, I had never seen Alexander in the daytime before. Second, there aren't photographs of him hanging in your locker, only paintings. Who puts _paintings_ of their significant other in their lockers? Thirdly, you immediately caught Monster Girl's attention, and hasn't yet lost it. Also, Monster Girl's been acting like she's hiding something ever since that lame 'Welcome Here' party."

"That doesn't prove anything." Alexander's tone was harsh.

Trevor snickered. "But you having a covenant ceremony, like what Luna was trying to do with me, and leaning over her neck, definitely proves something. Especially since your fangs are out and everything."  
Alexander raised his pale hand to his mouth, then growled. His fangs were out, and they looked more menacing than they did five minutes ago.

"Monster Girl and I," Trevor whispered, grinning like a derange serial killer, "we have day as well as night to do things. You, however, can only do night. While you're sleeping in a coffin or a basement, Raven and I are together, at school. You can never do that with her. You will never sit with her at lunch. You will never pass her notes during class. You will never talk to her during the day, much less see her. While you're stuck in your monstrosity of a house, I'm with Raven. And there's nothing you could ever do to change that."

Alexander closed his eyes, and for a second, I saw a teardrop sliding down his cheek. Trevor had finally hit Alexander's weak spot, and he hit it like a hyper kid playing one of those mallet games. Hard, and many times.

But then Alexander's eyes opened, and he glared at Trevor. His hands curled into fists, and he raised them towards Trevor.

"I've never been someone who was willing to use violence against someone else. But you, Trevor Mitchell, you deserve it."

Trevor laughed, then shot Alexander a cocky smile. "Try me, Vampire Boy."


	7. Chapter Six

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Six**

Alexander lunged for Trevor. Trevor raised his fists and quickly smashed his hands into Alexander's shoulder and chest. Alexander, unfazed, hit Trevor straight up from under the chin with impressive force. I heard Trevor groan and the sound of a heavy punch landing on somebody. Trevor groaned again, and I saw him fall onto the ground.

"Is that enough for you, Trevor?" Alexander asked loudly. "Or do you want more?"

I looked down at Trevor's face. Instead of showcasing a cocky smile and twinkly eyes, his face consisted of a slowly swelling eye and a bleeding lip. He stared back up at me, as if asking me to comment on his behalf.

"Trevor looks really bad, Alexander. What are we going to do?" I bit my lip worriedly. "When Trevor goes back to his house, he's going to tell his rich daddy who hurt him."

Trevor coughed loudly. His voice was odd and crackly. "N-no, he's on a b-business trip. My mother's a-attending a family r-reunion."

Good. That meant that no one (except for Trevor's friends and his gardener) would know about it until it heals. I placed my hand on Alexander's shoulder.

"We should finish the ceremony. It's nearing morning," Alexander grumbled. Walking past Trevor, he made a face at him. Trevor raised his middle finger at Alexander. In retaliation, Alexander kicked Trevor's leg.

We returned to his grandmother's monument, and Alexander held my hand. Tilting my head once more, I waited for Alexander to bite me.

No one, not even Trevor Mitchell, could stop us now.

I felt sudden pain in my neck, and then my head became fuzzy. My eyelids became heavy, and I realized that Alexander was drinking my blood. Not enough to kill me, but enough to turn me. My arms wrapped around him, as I struggled to keep conscious.

But, after twenty seconds of agonizing pain, I passed out.

**^o^**

I was floating in space, except all of the stars and planets were missing. All I could see was darkness. But then I noticed something not that far away. A silver swirl, twisting beautifully like a hanging ornament. I reached out for it, but I couldn't catch it. Suddenly, it moved towards me. It was just out of reach.

I leaned towards it, but as soon as my fingers brushed against it, I felt my body twisting and turning, as if it had sucked me into it.

I opened my eyes. I was blanketed in darkness. The only difference was that I could see where I was. Several cushioned walls enclosed me, and a polished wooden cover blocked away any light from the outside. I was lying against Alexander, and he was awake, too.

"Raven," he murmured, "are you all right?"

"Of course I am." I smiled brightly at him. "But I'm just so..."

"Confused? Annoyed? Lightheaded?" Alexander asked. "Or just plain normal?"

"No." I giggled. "I'm just so bloody thirsty!"

**(A/N: Should I continue this story in Alexander's Point of View? Or shall I keep it Raven? Feedback is appreciated! Thanks for reading :3 )**


	8. Chapter Seven

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Seven**

(A/N: I will keep it Raven's Point Of View mainly, but I will throw in a little of Alexander once in a while. This is the first chapter in Alexander's Point Of View. Hope you enjoy it!)

I never thought that Raven would be like this. Pangs of regret, and of hopelessness hit me, especially when I see Raven gulping down blood like an alcoholic would with wine. She barely speaks to me anymore, and when she does, she asks me about the blood she consumes.

It's been 70 hours (approximately) since I had changed Raven from goth-girl to bat-girl, and already I see the problem at hand. I was losing the Raven I knew, and any memory of the old her was being replaced by the ravenous appetite Raven had developed.

It was just like I had expected, only now it was too real for me to grasp.

"Alexander," she whispered to me, once she had finished her cup of AB negative, "why are you so sad?"

I looked away from her, forcing myself to stop the tears that were threatening to slide down my face. I didn't want Raven to be like this. Swishing blood down her throat like nobody's business when she had said we would be cuddling in my coffin. I hadn't had much private time with her. I don't even remember the last time we'd kissed.

Raven placed her hand on my shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"

_No_, I thought-replied. _I don't want to tell her how much I miss her, because saying it will make it official._

But my mouth betrayed me.

"I miss you," it murmured. "I miss the old you."

Raven looked at me, her lips pressed tightly together. She hadn't bothered with makeup at all, due to her now-missing reflection. She suddenly leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.

"I miss you so much," I repeated. Without another word, I stood up and headed back into my room. From the sounds coming behind me, I knew that Raven was following after me.

I whirled around, saying, "Raven, I-"

But I stopped speaking instantly, because Raven wasn't the person behind me.

Jagger Maxwell stood in front of me, his white hair with red tips flopping over his pale-as-death face. His arms were crossed over his black belted leather jacket.

"You actually did it," Jagger muttered. "You actually bit her. How does it feel to lose the one person you've always wanted because of your decision? If you hadn't bit her, she wouldn't be like this."

I growled, "Shut up." But I knew he was right about it. He was right about a lot of things. If he'd bitten someone he loved (if he was capable of loving at all), he would understand.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Eight**

(A/N: This is Raven's Point Of View.)

The bloody bodily fluid that I poured down my throat fueled my energy like gasoline to a car. I couldn't get enough of it, nor could I fathom stopping for a breather. I knew that Alexander must be annoyed with our strained relationship, but I needed to drink a lot of blood. _Had_ to.

Alexander sat next to me as I chugged down cup after cup of delicious blood. His arms were crossed over his pale torso, and he was studying me like I was a textbook and he was a delinquent in summer school. But his expression dropped suddenly, and he looked more depressed than ever.

I placed my empty blood cup onto the table and looked towards Alexander. "Alexander," I whispered, "why are you so sad?"

He averted his gaze, and immediately I felt shaky. Why was he doing this? Was he changing his mind about me? About us? Is he regretting biting me on sacred ground? Did he despise the idea of being bonded to be for all of eternity?

Placing my hand on his muscular shoulder, I asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Still not looking at me, he muttered, "I miss you. I miss the old you." He sounded incredibly tortured, as if there was a mental tug-of-war going on inside his head.

I bit my lip, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I knew that he didn't like the idea of me being a vampire, but now that I am, he was almost rejecting me.

I kissed him on the cheek gently. As I did so, a tear ran down my cheek. I was glad he didn't see it.

"I miss you so much," he told me. Without waiting for me to reply, he stood up and left, leaving me alone in the room.

Jameson walked in just as Alexander walked away. Whisking away my cup, he looked at me with concern. Good old Jameson. Always looking out for me, even after I'd been turned. I should get him a really good gift one day.

"Is everything all right, Miss Raven?" he asked worriedly.

"You're right," I told him sadly, rubbing at my eyes to secretly wipe away my tears. "I do."

He looked absolutely confused at my answer. "What do you mean, Miss Raven?"

"I miss Raven," I told him. "I miss my human form. This isn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be, I guess. Alexander and I, we're very strained."

"But I thought you two were happy. Just a few days ago, you two were the happiest of couples." Jameson was acting very parental; not that out of character for him.

I sighed, and then replied, "A single bite can change somebody."

Scraping my chair out from under the dining table, I followed after Alexander.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Nine**

The sight of our unwelcome guest startled me. Jagger's red-tipped white hair caught me off guard. He was standing a few feet away from Alexander, whose face had gone paler than usual. He hadn't seen me yet, so I figured that I could sneak up on him and surprise him.

"...Wouldn't be like this," Jagger finished saying.

Alexander scowled. "Shut up," he demanded, but his face was full of sadness. His chocolate brown eyes no longer had that tiny silver glint in it that I loved.

He looked over Jagger's shoulder and gasped. "Raven!"

Jagger spun around, and then grabbed my arms forcefully. It was painful, but it was less painful than if he did that when I was still human.

"What did you hear?" he yelled. "_What did you hear_?"

I wonder what they were talking about before I showed up. "Nothing, really," I admitted softly. "Why are you here, Jagger? Is there something wrong?"

"You know what's wrong," he spat angrily at me. "You embarrassed Luna and Demile."

"You know what's so wrong about all of this? You're always the one seeking revenge, Jagger. Maybe they should grow a set and come back to do their own revenge." I smirked at his shocked expression.

Alexander smiled briefly, then turned around and continued up to his - no, _our _- attic room. I followed after him, just as Jameson reached Jagger and informed him that it was time for him to leave.

The sun was beginning to rise. I felt it in my bones. If Jagger didn't leave now, he would be hurt by the sunlight, or forced to stay in the mansion with Alexander and me.

Alexander opened the attic door and kicked off his combat boots. He gave me a look that screamed, "Turn around", and then (assuming from what I could hear) he was taking off his pants. To distract myself from turning around, I pulled off my motorcycle boots and changed into a black lacy nightgown that Alexander made Jameson buy for me.

Alexander then unlocked the closet door, exposing the bedside table, the candelabra, the painting of me, and the coffin that snugly fit us.

Alexander lay down first. He shifted in the coffin until he was comfortable, then pulled me down against him. He threw a soft ebony duvet over us, then closed the coffin lid.

**^o^**

We woke up at the same time, as per usual. My stomach grumbled, anticipating blood, but I looked at Alexander's face with my night-vision eyes.

He was staring back at me, his beautiful brown eyes shimmering despite the darkness. He was clutching the UglyDoll that I had bought him a few days prior to my becoming a vampire.

"Raven," he whispered, then pressed his lips against mine. "I love you."

My eyes closed, happiness spreading throughout my body. I could feel tingliness from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

"Do you love me?" he asked gently, pulling his lips off mine for a second.

I murmured, "Yes."


	11. Chapter Ten

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Ten**

(A/N: Alexander's Point Of View today. Yippee!

P.S. **Mrs. Alexander Sterling: **Me + Cliffhangers = annoying, right? :P I live for the cliffhangers.)

The next morning, we both wordlessly dressed and headed downstairs for our evening meal. Raven didn't bother mentioning what had happened last night, nor did I wish she would.

**^o^**

_ "Do you love me?" I asked her, once I had managed to tear myself away from Raven._

_ "Yes," she replied softly._

_ I looked at her. Her eyes were shining. Either she was crying, or she was lying to me. Brushing my thumbs against her cheeks, I realized that she wasn't shedding a single tear._

_ "Do you?" I asked again._

_ Raven looked shocked at me. "Of course I love you, Alexander. You made me what I am."_

_ Those words made my eyes burn. Although she wasn't accusing me of turning her into a vampire, I sensed a bit of regret in her tone. Sorrow filled my entire body._

_ "I'm so sorry," I bawled, before I could stop myself. "I love you, but this . . . this isn't you. I miss the human girl I fell in love with. The girl that stopped Trevor Mitchell from spray-painting my home. The girl who spent a lot of her days curled up in my arms."_

_ I wiped away my tears. Looking away from her, I focused my attention on the cushioned walls of the coffin. My sanctuary. Now it felt like a truth prison._

_ "No, Alexander," she whispered. "I'm sorry."_

**^o^**

We sat down at the table, while Jameson served us baked potatoes and extremely rare steaks. Raven ate without looking at me, and I dutifully swallowed my portion of the food before scraping back my chair.

"Where are you going?" she asked gently, her makeup-less eyes looking up at me sadly. We both still had the memory of last night's confession in our minds, and that was impacting our emotions greatly.

I answered, "The gazebo. Join me if you want."

The outdoors were cold, and I quickly draped a black coat over my own shoulders as I sat under the gazebo. I felt like a little boy again, my father's coat on my shoulders, while my mother told me stories of the darkness.

"Alexander." A voice floated through the air, tearing me away from my childhood flashback.

My eyes widened instantly, and I stood up defensively. "I thought you left for Romania."

"I thought Raven and you were good together. But I guess I was wrong. You're miserable." She took another step closer. "But I could change that. Come with me."


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Eleven**

(A/N: Still Alexander's POV. But the part after the bold bat thingy that I do will be in Raven's POV.

**Mrs. Alexander Sterling**: If cliffhangers cause cancer, I guess you should get hospitalized ASAP, because I adore them!

**emodinosaurX3**: I know, the cliffhangers are bullies. :( )

Demile was much trickier than I had thought. But she was right. Raven and I, we were no good together.

Ever since Raven had turned, she's been all blood, fang cleaning, and more blood. I did enjoy our coffin clutches, although they are a little less than what I expected. But I just cannot believe that Raven and I were drifting apart like a two halves of a broken iceberg. Except now, I feel like I am sinking.

Demile softly stroked the back of my hand with her long-nailed thumb as we found a place to sit on the train (thankfully this train had no windows whatsoever). We were heading back to the Coffin Club, to keep there for a few days until I was sure I wanted to be with Demile forever. Then we'd return to Romania.

I felt awful leaving Raven and Jameson behind. Jameson was my trusted butler. I've been with him so long that I felt like he was my own father. Sometimes, he actually was, especially when my real father flied to France and Rome for art shows.

And Raven. My Raven. She's nothing but a shell now. A shell with the same face, voice, and obsessive blinking. I regret biting her so much. I wish that I'd never revealed that I was a vampire, but then again I would have that secret as a burden for a long, long time.

So I shall leave her, my love, in the Dullsville she had grown up in. She will be miserable for a few days, but I know that she's strong enough to move on. She _will_ move on, I'm absolutely sure of it. Now that she wears no makeup, her inner beauty seeps through her pores and illuminates her like an aura. No boy would be able to resist her.

My eyes widened as I realized something truly awful. I bit my lip, almost cutting it open with my razor-sharp fangs.

I had left Raven, my gothic lover, alone in a city where Trevor Mitchell reigns. Trevor Mitchell, the boy who's in love with her, would do anything for her, would shower her with gifts and adoration as long as they both shall live.

Suddenly leaving her in the town - it would be a mistake I'd always regret. It would be like getting Trevor to replace me at the altar where Raven waited for us to be wed. I was beginning a track, one that ended with Raven and Trevor living happily ever after together.

My eyes burned with tears. My Raven. Trevor would have to go, before he could take her as his own.

"Monster Boy."

I looked up, locking eyes with the soccer snob. He stood over me, his eyes scanning me up and down, before checking out Demile. At least he didn't say Vampire Boy. That would be hard to explain to the other patrons.

"What are you doing here?" I muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

"I'm visiting my cousin Jerome," Trevor replied, "but the question is, why isn't Monster Girl with you?"

Trevor was sporting a black eye that was slowly healing. His lip, however, was already healed. He looked at me with hatred burning in his eyes.

"Are you leaving Monster Girl behind?" he asked. He paused to think, and then a huge smile spread out on his face. I knew what he was thinking: _Raven was alone in Dullsville, with no boyfriend, and wanted a shoulder to cry on_. No matter how hardcore and mean Trevor may act towards Raven, he'd be gentle and kind to her if she became his girlfriend.

"No," I lied.

Demile glared at me, before replying herself, "_Of course_ we are. We're starting a new life together, and we're _never_ looking back. We're in deep, _passionate_ love."

It was my turn to glare. If looks could kill, Demile would have fallen to the floor by now.

Trevor laughed, then said, "I'm glad you're leaving, Monster Boy. Raven and I, we'll be fine without you." He tapped his lip thoughtfully with his index finger. "What are good names for children? What do you think of Trevor Junior?"

I clenched my teeth together, fists curling from my hands. Trevor was getting to me, and I didn't like it when he did.

"Raven Junior and Trevor Junior. That's excellent," he finished, before slinking off to his seat.

I sighed gently as I thought of what Trevor had said. Children. Vampires could have children, but what about a human and a vampire? And their children would be messed up. Not the Raven Juniors, of course, but the Trevor Juniors. Half vampire, half human, and all bloodthirsty.

"Everything's going to be okay now," Demile stated softly, smiling at me as the train began moving. "She'll be just a memory. You and I, we're going to have the best time of our lives."

**^o^**

"Alexander?" I cried out, tears streaming down my face. "Alexander!"

I had walked out to the gazebo, only to find that Alexander was not there. I was greatly confused, but I thought that he was planning a surprise a few feet away, so I searched around for a bit. But the reality of the situation hit me like Alexander hit Trevor: _Alexander was gone_.

Jameson and I were driving around Dullsville, looking for my boyfriend. My Gothic Knight of the night. My true love.

The cemetery was creepier without Alexander by my side. I feared that something bad happened to him, that Jagger or somebody had found him and taken him against his will, but I vowed not to lose hope.

"Alexander." My yelling turned to sobbing. "Oh my God. Alexander. I miss you."

I had reached his grandmother's monument. The place where I had changed from human to vampire. One of "our" spots. It hurt just to look at it.

"Miss Raven, the sun's about to rise," Jameson warned me. "We must head back. We'll resume our search tomorrow."

By then, Jagger could kill Alexander. By that time, my parents would be hunting me down, demanding to see me.

By then, all of my hopes and dreams would be shattered.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twelve**

(A/N: Haha, I've been doing too much A/Ns. Anyways, this is Trevor's Point of View, a week after his encounter with Alexander on the train to Hipsterville. He is out of character, I know, but I guess that's what happens when Raven is "freed" from her "annoying boyfriend" (Trevor's words, not mine)!

**Tom Riddle's reluctant bride**: Alexander isn't really trying to be an ass. Sorrow and guilt of turning Raven into a vampire is what's controlling him. But yes, I do agree, Alexander is being somewhat of a bum. Oh, and SPOILER: Jagger will return. HAHAHA, there you go. Just a prize for being a SUPER DUPER HARRY POTTER FAN LIKE ME!)

"Trevor, are you all right?" Jennifer asked me during our "date" at Hatsy's Diner. We had ordered two vanilla milkshakes and atomic fries, and were waiting patiently for our food to show up. Well, Jennifer was. I was waiting for something else to show up: the moon.

Ever since I'd heard that Vampire Boy was leaving town with a new goth girl, I'd been making plans as to how I'll get Monster Gir- I mean, _Raven_ - on my side. Maybe I could get her to wear some tiny skirts and such.

"Trevor, are you listening to me?" Jennifer pouted at me. "I'm only here for a couple more days, you know. You should be spending all of your time with me."

_Too bad_, I thought snarkily. _I'm going to be spending _a lot _of time with Mon_- Raven _to be with you, you skinny little witch of a girl. If you weren't pretty, you'd be just as unpopular as Farmer Becky._

I smiled (forced, of course) at Jennifer, and then placed my hand on hers. "I'm so sorry," I apologized, "for not paying attention to you." I kissed her hand briefly, then dropped it onto the table.

_Yuck_, I thought.

The Hatsy's waitress that we had earlier came back holding a tray of food. I grinned and started eating my food, while Jennifer sipped her vanilla milkshake slowly. She didn't even bother touching the food.

_Make that _anorexic_ witch_, I thought.

"...And do you know what Margaret said? She said, 'Oh my gosh, Jennifer, I can't believe you'd do that!' And I said, 'Of course I would, don't you know me at all?' And then she was like, 'God, Jennifer, why are you such a bitch?' And I was like, 'God, Margaret, since when are you a prude?'..."

I felt like clawing my eyes out. Jennifer's pointless stories always began and ended with her telling her friends how pretty she thought she was. I felt bad for her friends. If they were even her friends at all.

I looked out the window again, and was pleased to see the sun beginning to set. The bottom of the sky that I could see was fairly pink, while the top of it was still the usual blue.

Pretty soon, I would walk up to the travesty on Benson Hill and take what's mine: Raven Madison. I felt a smile blooming on my face.

"Trevor!"

I snapped my head back up, diverting my attention from the window. "What?"

"You're smiling. Why are you smiling?" She looked out the window, then gazed at me. "_Why are you smiling_?"

_Make that _controlling _anorexic witch_, I thought. But instead of calling her the things I've always wanted to call her, I lied.

"I was thinking of you," I said softly.

She smiled at me, then continued her story.

**^o^**

That mansion should be burned down. I would personally do it, if Vampire Boy and his mistress chick (who was that, anyways? She was _fine_) were in it. But I wouldn't dare do anything to the mansion right now; Raven was in it.

I made it to the mansion gates right as the sun finished setting. Luckily I had managed to escape Jennifer. The gate was open, and their spiffy car was still there.

I knocked on the door three times, praying that Raven would answer.

Instead, the creepy old dude who had Raven's father's tennis racket a while ago opened the door. Oh, right. The butler.

"Mister Mitchell?" He looked shocked. "What are you doing here, if I may ask?"

I puffed up my chest and squared my shoulders, hoping I looked buff. "I'm here to see Raven."

Creepy Butler then said, "As long as you do not intrude on our privacy, then I guess you may come in. Follow the hallway and go to the second door on your right. She shall be down in a minute."

Cree. Py.

I found the room and sat down in one of the armchairs, tapping my feet impatiently. Soon, Raven will be here, and she and I will be hitting the town.

I imagined walking into the country club, my gothic girl in tow, and seeing the look on everybody's faces. The jealousy. Soon, everybody would want one. But she was the only girl in town to be one. Oh, the envy.

Not to mention the fact that Raven is finally free to be with me. I'll wear black clothing if I have to. I even tried to tonight, by wearing the darkest jeans I owned and a black silk shirt. Hopefully she'll get the hint.

"Trevor?"

I looked up at the doorway. Raven stood there, in a lacy black dress with a corsetted torso, and knee-high boots with tiny skulls on them. Gothic, yes, but provocative too. I liked the idea of being with her. And I liked how she was wearing no makeup; her natural beauty had somehow blossomed into natural hotness underneath all that white face powder.

"Hello," I said grandly, stretching my feet out in front of me. I wasn't going anywhere without my goth girl on my arm.

Raven looked quizically at me, then said, "You know, I wasn't expecting anybody. I was about to go out to look for somebody."

"Alexander. I know." I smirked. "I met him on the train to visit my cousin. He was with some goth chick, and he looked kind of..."

_I needed to lie_, I thought quickly, _so that she wouldn't think that Alexander didn't want to go or anything. I need her to think that he left happy, so she'll go out with me._

"...Excited about going," I finished, satisfied.

Raven's face dropped. "R-Really?" she whimpered. "Oh."

I stood up. Walking towards her, I enveloped her into a hug. Hugging the gothic girl was much different than just shaking her hand after she had told me our grade.

She pushed me away. "Get off!" She sounded incredibly sad, and I saw some tears streak down her face.

I took her hand instead. "It's okay, Raven."

Shocked, she looked up at me. "You called me Raven, instead of Monster Girl. I can't believe you could even do that."

I chuckled. "I still have that Dracula action figure you gave me a long time ago," I whispered. Suddenly, all of the feelings I'd had for most of my life spilled out. "I _cherish_ the childhood memories with you, especially when I had bitten your hand and you pretended that you had turned into a vampire. I _love_ the idea of you hating me. Actually, I'm _glad_ that you hate me; I _liked_ being your enemy. I'd rather be your enemy than be unnoticed by you."

"What are you saying?" she asked gently. "Do you think that what you just said could make me think that you could replace Alexander? You could never replace him. He's the most kind-hearted man I've ever known in my life. You've always been a nuisance."

"That's just _it_," I told her, stepping closer until I cupped her chin in my hands, forcing her to look up at me with her beautiful brown eyes. "I can't replace him. I'm not looking to replace him, per se. I'm looking to make you happy, and make you feel human again. I have money, power, and skills. We could run away together if you wanted to."

I lowered my face to hers and pressed my lips against her beautiful - yet shocked-to-the-point-of-it-feeling-numb - mouth.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirteen**

(**A/N: **Lucky 13! Wooooooooooo! In Trevor's POV before the bat, then after it's SOMEBODY'S POV. You'll have to guess. ;) And then after that, it's Raven's Point of View.

**Mrs. Alexander Sterling**: There are an awful lot of problems with cliffhangers, I guess. Fattening, cancer-causing bullies are what makes a cliffhanger so . . . hanging :S. Please excuse my loss of big words in this author note, because I do not have a thesaurus on me right now.)

The town was lively tonight. The moon was lighting up the dim sky, despite the twinkling stars. Everybody was out and about, even Farmer Becky and Matt, who we saw at Hatsy's Diner on a date. But there were more gossipers than civilians out, scoping for a story. And seeing Raven and me waltz around the town square definitely quenched their gossip thirst.

From my right, I could clearly hear an old woman talking about us to her friends.

"Trevor Mitchell, with Raven Madison in tow? How scandalous. What happened to that Sterling boy?" the woman said.

Her friend replied, "I heard that the Sterling boy eloped with another girl, and he left her behind."

"That girl over there is very lucky," the first woman stated. "Getting dumped by the loser and getting with a Mitchell. I bet she's a gold digger."

I clenched my teeth. No one should be able to call Raven a gold digger, whether they're talking to me, in front of me, behind me, or when I'm not there at all.

From my left, I saw my mother talking to her Purse Party friends. I rolled my eyes as she beckoned Raven and me towards her. But we still came up to her.

"Hi," Raven said. She seemed cheerful after my confession at the mansion.

"Trevor," my mother said, looking interested, "aren't you going to introduce me to your . . . friend?"

"Mom," I said proudly, wrapped my arm around Raven's cinched waist, "this is Raven Madison. My girlfriend."

She smiled at Raven, but I saw right through it; I wonder if Raven saw through it, too.

"Now, what happened to your original boyfriend, Raven?" My mother sneered. "I heard that he left you to be with a sexy European model."

_Lies_, I thought.

Raven forced a smile and answered, "He did leave, but I do not know who with."

**^o^**

My arms were wound around the girl, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She has no idea who I am, and I'm glad she doesn't. If she did know me, and what I've done, she would not be kissing me.

The girl was dressed in a tiny black skirt, tight white button down with the first three buttons undone, and skinny black high heels. I had first thought of her as a prostitute, but I soon learned that she was just a civilian. A preppy, seductive civilian.

She pulled away and scanned my face. "You're so handsome," she gushed. "I can't believe you're so handsome. I want to kiss you so badly. I want you."

I smirked, but shook my head. "I'd best be going now," I told her, caressing her sleek black hair. "Maybe next time."

She pouted, but let me go. I walked away from her, and disappeared into the night as a bat. As I did, I began scanning the city for more people who would love me. While I did that, I noticed a familiar person down in the town square.

She was wearing a beautiful black minidress, and her hair was combed until it was soft and shiny. Her lips were stained with a wine-coloured lip gloss. I knew that if I flew closer to her, I would be able to smell spicy chocolate perfume. A boy was holding her close, as they both talked to a woman in conservative clothing.

Raven.

She had moved on from Alexander. Alexander, whom she had called "her true love", was long gone with Demile, doing very unmentionable things.

I smirked, then began my descend.

**^o^**

Trevor Mitchell, my arch enemy of Dullsville, was introducing me to his mother. I never thought I'd see the day he would. But then again, a few minutes ago he had confessed his love for me. There are a lot of weird things going on.

"Well," Trevor said, looking uncomfortable, "we want to buy some ice cream at the parlor, so I'll talk to you all about her when I get home."

I knew he wouldn't. Nobody would think of Trevor as a mommy's boy, and I was sure as hell that he wouldn't talk to her about me.

We left Mrs. Mitchell with her gossip friends and headed over to the ice cream parlor. We ordered a chocolate and vanilla, then sat outside.

"Raven." Trevor sounded odd.

"What?" I responded. "I like chocolate better."

Trevor pointed to something far behind me. "No, I don't care about that. It's just . . . there's a bat."

(**A/N**: Are these POV changes bothering you? I'm sorry if they are. If they really do bother people, then I'll stick to one person per chapter. Thanks and PEACE!)


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Fourteen**

(**A/N**: Alexander's POV, just because **emodinosaurX3** wants to know what's up with him and Demile. ;) Then after the bat, we're gonna hear some unfriendly words from one Jagger Maxwell, courtesy of Raven's POV.

Also, **thank you ALL readers**, old and new, for reading this. There are plenty of Vampire Kisses stories out there, and I'm glad you chose mine as one to read, whether it's just 'cause you're bored or if you're a fanatic. Keep on rockin'!)

Demile was getting on my nerves.

The Coffin Club's dimlit rooms for those who wanted to stay there were compacted together, and as constricted as one of those airplane bathrooms Jameson's told me about. Demile was lying on me while I tried to sleep, mouth-breathing _heavily_ into my ear. Plus, she has this strange habit of kicking her feet and occasionally moving her bony knees around while sleeping.

I'm getting beaten up by a sleeping chick. That when you know you've hit rock bottom.

I ached for Raven once again. I missed her so much. Everything that I've done the past couple of weeks have been a mistake. Biting her...sulking...leaving her...

I suspect that she's with Trevor. Right now, as I am being pinned down by a vampire nuisance, she's probably snuggling with Trevor, like we used to do before any of this happened.

I felt the sun set, and then Demile shifted on me ever so slightly.

"Get off," I mumbled, sure that she would hear me.

Demile sighed sleepily, then draped her leg on mine. I rolled my eyes and slowly began pulling her off my body. As soon as she was remotely off of me, I opened the coffin lid and sat up. The light that illuminated from the bare bulb in our "room" was enough to make me flinch.

"Already?" Demile groaned. "Aww."

I stood up quickly, before she could grab me and pull me back down (like she did the night before). Pulling on my studded jeans and leather jacket, I opened the door and headed over to the vampire side of the club for a drink.

Every step made my heart ache for Raven. We'd been here together. Last time we were here, I'd saved her from being bitten by one of Jagger's cronies, all while she was screaming that she wanted me to bite her. If she were with me, instead of Demile, I wonder if she would still pick me to bite her.

Sure, we had a covenant ceremony, and we were technically supposed to be together forever, but it didn't mean that we couldn't be apart for a little while. I was with Demile, and Raven was with...

A vivid image of Trevor and Raven, cuddling inside _our_ coffin, filled my head. For a second, I stumbled. Then, another image, this one of Trevor and Raven kissing, bloomed in my mind.

Anger filled me like a cup of O+. While I was stuck in this vampire house with a vampire skank, Trevor and Raven were together, in _my _mansion.

Suddenly, a new idea lit up inside of my head. Turning around, I headed quickly for the exit. As soon as I could see the night sky, I turned into a bat and flew as fast as my wings could flap.

I _have_ to go back to Dullsville _now_.

**^o^**

I looked behind me, startled to see a bat with different-coloured eyes flying towards us. But just before it reached us, it veered sharply to the left, and disappeared from my view.

I glanced around, hoping that none of the gossipers had seen what we'd seen. Thankfully, they were still buzzing about Trevor and me. Well, I guess not thankfully, in a way.

A thick Romanian accent greeted, "Trevor."

I looked behind me again. Jagger Maxwell, our uninvited house guest a week or so ago, stood with his arms crossed over his lean chest. His aviator sunglasses, which Trevor and I could easily see, only reflected Trevor and the other patrons in the lenses.

"Jagger." Trevor's voice was suddenly obnoxious again, like before. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to offer my condolences to Raven about her _unfortunate_ loss of her vampire mate." He placed one of his hands on my shoulder, and looked seriously at me, while taking the sunglasses off with the other hand. "But I can see you work fast." A smirk blossomed on his pale-as-death face.

Trevor growled, "Leave her alone."

Several people began looking in our direction, before whispering excitedly to their friends and unsubtly moving closer to the action.

"I wonder what Alexander must feel like. While he is resting in the Coffin Club, you are on a date with one of his worst enemies. I hope you're happy that you betrayed him."

I bit my lip, aware that now everybody near us was watching and listening. I knew that if I said the wrong thing, everybody would think of me as a slut. If I said the right thing, I would be in serious trouble.

Crossing my fingers under the table for luck, I responded, "_I _am not betraying him, because _he_ betrayed me first by eloping with another girl. Technically, I am moving on, like _you_ should be doing."


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Fifteen**

(**A/N**: Holy crow! 32 reviews already! That's more than twice the number of this chapter! Thanks everyone again for the wonderful support you've all given me. You guys have no idea how grateful I am. :D Well, here's Chapter Fifteen, in Jagger's POV before the bat. After the flapping bold creature, it will be Raven's. :D

Ooh, and the ending of this chapter is one mean, cancer-causing, fattening cliffhanger. Just so you know. ;) )

"_Moving on_". How ridiculous was Raven? And I have moved on, thank you very much. It's not like I'm still avenging Alexander's betrayal, or anything. I was just offering her a shoulder to cry on, after all that's happened with her "beloved".

But, looking at the broad-shouldered loser sitting across from her, I knew she'd found one all on her own.

I opened my mouth to point out these things, only to realize that half of the civilians were watching us, and the numbers were growing rapidly. If I said any of these things, I'd come off as a jerk and be shunned.

Most importantly, the _girls_ here would think I'm a jerk.

"Never mind, then," I said, scowling. Turning away from Raven and Soccer Boy, I headed back to the side of the building and transformed back into a bat. Swooping around, I decided to check up on the vampiric lovebirds at my club.

^o^

Trevor pushed his fingers through his hair, making it messier than before, but in a good way. "Thank God he's gone," he muttered, then tended to his melting ice cream.

Slowly, the eavesdroppers left us alone. I was grateful for the - somewhat - privacy again.

Looking back at all the things I'd said, I realized that maybe Alexander wasn't right for me. Maybe Trevor, however annoying he may have been at the time, was right all along. Alexander has been making me miserable for the past week, searching for him while he's probably sexing it up with some chick.

"It's almost two," Trevor noted. "Do you want to head over somewhere else?"

I threw away the half-eaten ice cream cone and walked with Trevor to the arcade.

It was easy to say that I beat Trevor at pinball. I used a Ghostbusters one, while he used a simple soccer-themed machine. As he scored some "goals", I was catching ghouls like nobody's business. After that, we hit the air hockey games, and he beat me ten to four. We played almost every single game.

Finally, I felt the sun beginning to rise, and Trevor's eyelids were beginning to droop.

"We'd better go," I said sadly.

We walked out, after I had claimed a black spider plushie from the prize desk with the tickets we had earned together. After Trevor had dropped me off at the front gates of the mansion, I headed up to the attic sanctuary.

I opened the front door and walked right in; that was routine for me these days. I headed up to my room, and began pulling off my shoes when I heard something I couldn't believe.

"Raven?"


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Sixteen**

(**A/N**: I felt like writing, so I'm going to use this feeling as an advantage and add the next chapter after the ginormous cliffhanger. :D This is in Raven's POV.)

Alexander sat on a black bean bag chair in front of the closet. His expression was stony, and his eyes were bright red.

"You reek of Trevor," he whispered disgustedly. "_What have you done_?"

_He_ was accusing _me_ of what _I_ had done, possibly implying that he thought I'd slept with Trevor? Need I remind him that _he'd_ left _me_ for some other chick? I didn't want to hear Alexander lecturing me about going out with Trevor, when he was the one who had up and disappeared with somebody else, even though he was mine.

"What about _you_, huh?" I yelled. Alexander's eyes widened and turned chocolate brown again. "What have _you_ done? Or _who_? Where have you been, Alexander? For an entire week I've done nothing but wake up, drink blood, look for you, and then cry myself to sleep because_ I didn't find you_! Why would you _do_ that to me, Alexander? After all we've been through, after all the times I'd gone after you after you refused to come back! You broke my _heart_, Alexander. _You_ shouldn't be accusing me of things I _haven't_ done."

Alexander sat there, glassy-eyed and frozen. Finally, he began speaking. "Raven, it's not-"

"-Like that?" I finished for him. "Give it a rest, Alexander. I know what you've done."

I began pushing Alexander and the bean bag chair away from the closet, suddenly aware of the rising sun. He noticed too, and got off the chair.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" he asked.

I bit my lip. I couldn't believe that Alexander was brave enough to ask me if I wanted to vent out all my anger towards him tomorrow. And where was he going to sleep, anyways? It's not like he's going to sleep in the coffin with me, like before.

"Raven," he murmured, before wrapping his arms around me. "I love you. I really do. And I'm sorry I left you. It was a spur of the moment decision, and every second of it was in torture because all I could think about was you. I understand if you don't want me back, Raven, but I hope you take me back. I've missed you so much. I left Demile back at the Coffin Club, and I have no intention of ever coming back to her. I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. If you don't take me back, I guess that's fine, but I'll be regretting my sudden absence for as long as I live." He looked me straight in the eyes. "Please, Raven. I even brought you a present."

I watched him pull out a small velvet box from his back pocket. Kneeling before me, he opened it to reveal a small diamond ring. The diamond was carefully carved into the shape of a shining bat.

"I know that I've already bonded with you at the covenant ceremony," he said, as I gasped, "but I want to make this official. We'll have an evening wedding, of course, and we can make it private, if you want. Anything you want. But I have to do this properly, before the sun rises."

He straightened out his shirt and shook his hair a little bit, to improve his haggard appearance. Then he looked up at me through his long eyelashes.

"Raven Madison," he began, "although you are my vampire mate, I want to make our love official, mortal or immortal. Will you marry me, and make me the happiest vampire in the world?"

Two minutes ago, he was mad at me. He had accused me of sleeping with Trevor. He was angry at me. And I was angry at him.

And now, here he was, proposing to me, just as the sun began to rise.

I closed my eyes, and I felt tears streaking down my cheeks. I thought of Trevor, of my family, of Becky, and of the other vampires that we knew. And then finally I opened my eyes, and I made my answer.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Seventeen**

(**A/N**: Chapter Seventeen, in Raven's POV before the bat, then after it will be Alexander's. :D I love cliffhangers, so everybody better strap in. There are still MORE to come of the hanging cliffers.

**emodinosaurX3**: Muahahahaha, I think you've been reading my story long enough to know that THAT'S HOW I ROLL. Teehee! But, well, here it is. The anticipated chapter that you've been so frantic to read. :D

P.S. Jagger in the next chapter? I think so. :D )

Alexander looked up at me, his chocolate-brown eyes shining beautifully despite the therat of the rising sun. He stood up slowly and slid the diamond bat ring on my left ring finger. A small smile was on his lips.

"Raven." His smile grew. He looked so happy, I couldn't believe it. This was coming from the guy who had left me?

But I had to move on. If I kept going out with Trevor, I was going to turn into a Corporate Cathy before I knew it. With my luck, if I kept going out with him, I'd start wearing...ugh..._pink_. Pink! The mutt of red and white! No way, Jose.

"Let's go to sleep now," I told him, opening up the closet door. He quickly kicked off his combat boots and lay down first, like before. I lay down on him, and then closed the coffin lid on us, just as the sun flew high in the sky.

As we lay together, I listened to the sound of Alexander's breathing. Light, even, and delicate. Just like how he is. Or was. He never told me what went down with Demile. Hopefully, not Demile.

"Are you sleeping?" Alexander asked, after what seemed like two hours.

"No," I mumbled, shifting slightly on him.

"Are you uncomfortable?" He moved a little bit, so I could have a little more space on the left. "Is that better?"

I pretended I didn't hear him. I pressed my cheek against his chest, and tried my best to relax. But the combination of a possibly cheating vampire...ugh..._fiance_, a diamond bat ring, and the awkwardness of it all was keeping me up.

**^o^**

The next night, we headed over to the Madison's to tell them about our engagement. I was ecstatic, smiling until my cheeks hurt. But Raven was acting very odd. She wouldn't look me straight in the eye, and she occasionally forced a smile that I easily saw through.

"I can't believe this," she muttered. "My parents will think that we are crazy. Getting married at seventeen! They'll be so distraught."

"Who cares? We're going to be happy together. Besides, we've kind of already been together long enough for this to happen."  
She shrugged. "Just a year. Hardly long enough for us to be like this. Do you have any idea how badly they'll judge us?"

The front door of Raven's old house swung open. Her dad, brother, and mother stood there, accompanied by Trevor and his parents.

"What have we here?" my dad growled furiously. "Two vampires, perhaps?"


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Eighteen**

(**A/N**: Ahahaha, thank you **emodinosaurX3** for pointing out my mistake :P I've fixed it, and I'm sorry if I screwed people up there. I was still in a kind of "Raven-y" mood, and I'm glad you caught that boo-boo before I continued on.

Hopefully this next chapter, featuring Jagger, won't be such a screw-up!

So for this one, we're going to leave Alexander and Raven in front of their house and focus on one Mister Jagger Maxwell, who is heading back to his club to check up on Alexander and Demile, although Alexander had already left. Hmm...)

My club, practically glowing from its popularity, welcomed me like a loved one coming back from a war. I received pats on the back from acquaintances, winks and numbers from the girls, and "holla"s from my friends. But I wasn't really think of those people right now. I was focused on telling Alexander all about Raven.

I headed into the hallway that led to the rooms, the ones that the staying vamps get, while the one-nighters stayed in one big room altogether with separate coffins. As I passed each room, I checked to see what they had written on the whiteboards that were on each door. I knew Alexander's penmanship, so I would easily spot his room.

Finally, I passed by a small room with a whiteboard that read, "A+D 4Ever!" with Alexander and his tramp's name signed under the horrific declaration. Pulling out my master key, I twisted the key in the lock and opened the door, expecting to see Alexander curled up with his mistress.

What I didn't expect was his mistress flinging herself at me like a kitten at yarn.

"Ow!" I yelled. I was knocked backwards, against the wall. The girl had her arms wrapped around me tightly, as she kissed my neck.

I didn't know whether to pry her off, or shove her back in that room with me.

She pulled away from me, then gasped. "Ew! You're not Alexander!"

I smirked at her. "The way you were kissing me, I was planning on throwing on a black haired wig for the heck of it."

The girl got off of me and adjusted her tiny dress. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jagger," I introduced. "You must be Alexander's."

She rolled her eyes. "Duh. I'm Demile. Are you a friend of Alex's?"

I smirked again. She called him Alex? He must not like that. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, you must have heard of me, then," she said, tossing her beautiful hair over her shoulder. "I expect that he talks a lot about me."

I almost laughed, but I managed to hold it in just before it burst out. Why would Alexander talk about this chick? She practically screamed "one night stand". And besides, Alexander wasn't much of a girl-bragger.

"Umm," I choked, "not really."

She looked annoyed for a second, but got over it quickly. "Whatever. He probably thought I was too important for you to hear about. Speaking of Alexander, have you seen him? I was supposed to meet him at the inside of the club, but I haven't seen him anywhere."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really? But I just thought-"

"So you haven't seen him." She said it like a statement, not a question. The girl looked absolutely furious.

I shook my head. "He's probably wandering around. You should stay here."

For once, she actually looked at me. Then she smiled. Pulling me into the room, she giggled and said, "As long as Alexander's gone..."


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Nineteen**

(**A/N**: 40 reviews. Ah, I feel so accepted here. Woo! Anyways, this is Chapter Nineteen, in Raven's POV, before AND after the bat.

**emodinosaurX3**: Yes, Demile is a vampire slut. I hate her too, with a passion. But I had to add her in, just to show how desperate she could get. (Which, btw, is REALLY REALLY desperate!) Anyways, here's more!)

"Raven Madison," my dad began angrily, "you have no idea how much trouble you are in. Why, if Trevor didn't tell us, then we would never have known!"

I glared at Trevor, who was looking at Alexander with envy boiling in his eyes. Of course Trevor would be jealous of Alexander. Alexander was everything I had - _have_ - wanted for a long time. Sure, Trevor and I had briefly dated. But not enough for me to care too much for him.

Well, I did think about him last night, while in Alexander's arms. I did think about how Trevor was so considerate about everything on our date, how he'd bought us ice cream, and did his best to tell Jagger off when he'd suddenly showed up.

"I had to tell them." Trevor looked sadly at me. "I knew that it would ruin your chances of being with . . ." He seemed hesitant to say Alexander's name, so he simply nodded at him. " . . . But I thought it would be better for you to be kept away from him than to keep you out of trouble."

Alexander seemed angry. "How could you do that?" he nearly shouted at Trevor.

I couldn't believe it, either. The situation actually hit me, right between the eyes. If they knew that we were vampires, they'd run us out of town. Imagine what they'd do if I told them that I was engaged to my vampire sire! I'd be staked. If, you know, that actually kills vampires, and it wasn't just a legend.

But, hey, if Buffy the Vampire Slayer kills vamps with sticks, then my parents - and most of Dullsville - probably could.

Alexander, breaking his angry gaze at Trevor, took a step towards my now frightened parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Madison," he began slowly, "your daughter and I - we are vampires. But that's not the big picture here."

"What is bigger than my beautiful daughter being a leech person?" my mom shrieked. "Oh, I know: she must be pregnant. Is that right, Raven? Did the nasty leech boy knock you up?"

I've never heard her say anything like that before. With fury laced in my tone, I replied hotly, "He didn't knock me up, he proposed to me! And I said yes!"

Trevor looked hurt. "You two are getting married?" His eyes prickled with tears. "Raven, no. You can't . . ."

"She isn't," my dad said loudly. "I forbid you from marrying, dating, and even contacting this boy!" He grabbed my arm and began pulling me into the house. Alexander suddenly was by my side, prying my father's fingers off of me. I heard a loud crack, and my dad's howl of pain. Alexander must have snapped one of my dad's fingers, or a part of his hand.

Alexander must not have been thinking clearly. His eyes were blood red, and they quickly turned back to the brown I was so familiar with.

"Oh my God," he said. "Mr. Madison, I am so sorry. You have no idea-"

"Get out," my dad said murderously, as my mother tended to his bleeding hand. A bone was sticking out of his hand. The sight of it was making me feel sick. "GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

**^o^**

"I never meant to hurt him," Alexander apologized once again. "I get out of control sometimes. I was just so angry that he was holding you like that-"

"It's not your fault," I assured him.

We were packing up all of our stuff. My parents had decided to burn all of the things I'd left in the house, so the things I'd moved into the mansion were the only things I had for myself.

Mrs. Mitchell made a huge point as to tell everybody about Alexander's true identity, and made it sound like he'd forcibly turned me, when I had actually wanted him to.

Our covenant ceremony. God, it seems like so long ago.

"We must hurry to the airport," Jameson urged us, as Alexander finished packing away the rest of his watercolours. "Before anybody torches the house."

"What'll happen to the mansion?" Alexander asked. "Surely they will not leave it alone. After all, they think that's where all the bad stuff in their town had come from."

To me, the good stuff in the town had come from this place. My Alexander, who'd interested me the moment I'd heard that there was a teenage boy living in my dream house.

"Hurry!" Jameson yelled. Alexander quickly shoved the box into the back of the Mercedes and, taking my hand, slid into the backseat.

Jameson, for the first time in his life, stepped on it. In this case, I mean that he drove fast, like a herd of elephants were right behind us and if he got anywhere lower than 60, we'd be screwed.

I asked Alexander, "Where are we going, anyways?"

Alexander looked down at me, his eyes shining with tears. "To my parents. Romania."


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty**

(**A/N**: Twenty chapters? I didn't even think this would go past two! :D CANNOT thank you guys enough, for keeping me from giving this story up!

This is Chapter Twenty, showing you into the mind of Mr. Alexander Sterling. A bat in this chapter, but no change in POVs.

P.S. I like typing up the bat. It's kinda nice, dontcha think? I shall type him (or her!) now, just for fun.

**^o^**

Hmm. It actually kind of looks like a face. Oh well.

Chapter Twenty begins...NOW!)

The plane ride, overall, wasn't as agonizing as I thought it would be. I was sure that we'd be toast as soon as the sun came up, but it was only ten hours long, and the weather in Romania was heavily cloudy.

Raven walked out of the airplane, looking as graceful as a drunk. She was disorientated, sleepy, but she was determined to get to my Romanian home before the sun bore through the clouds. I must look somewhat like that.

"Where is your house anyways?" she asked me, as Jameson retrieved our luggage. "Do you live in a mansion here, too?"

I nodded. "A bit bigger than the old one." I took her hand in mine, mostly to remind me that I was here because she was my vampire mate and fiancee.

I glanced over at Jameson. He was talking urgently into his cell phone. Probably either Ruby or my parents.

"We'd better go," Raven whispered. I turned my attention towards her, and smiled gently at my sleepy lover.

Jameson hung up his phone and headed over to us. "Let's go," he said. "We'll grab a taxi."

**^o^**

My previous home stood proudly in the middle of a luxurious street. People have gossiped that our neighbors were popular Romanian movie stars, but I have never actually expressed the desire to figure out if the rumours were true.

"Whoa." Raven was starstruck by my old abode. "You lived here? Really? It's so-"

I cut her off. "Expensive?" I guessed.

She laughed. "No. I was going to say, 'Not old'."

We cracked up. Jameson then called for us to help him unload the luggages from the taxi. After we were laden down with our possessions, we headed to the front door. There was a gate in our way, but Jameson easily kicked it open.

The ebony door loomed in front of me. I was nervous to ring the doorbell, although it was completely necessary. But I finally mustered the courage to do it, and I soon found myself staring at my exhausted father.

"Alexander?" he gasped. His eyes swivelled to Raven and Jameson. "What is going on?"

"Constantine," I said to him quietly, "our previous place has found out about me. We have to hide here."

My father looked at me, his eyes burning red with rage. "They did? And you brought along Raven?" But his expression softened when Raven spoke.

"They did find out," she admitted for me. "But I am now a vampire, so I think it was appropriate for him to bring me along."

He stared at her for a few seconds, then asked me, "Did you bite her?"

I nodded. "On sacred ground."

"And we're getting married," Raven added.

Jameson stood there, holding his small duffel bag of things. "Sir, if I may, I'd like to add that Miss Raven would be an incredible daughter-in-law. And your son hadn't gone to too much trouble before this."

My father raised a hand. Jameson stopped talking instantly.

"Raven," he began softly, "I do accept you into this family. But Alexander, I don't understand any of this."

"We'll explain later," I told him. "Are you allowing us to stay?"

Constantine nodded. "Of course. I would not deny my son, his butler, and his future wife!"


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

**Bloody Brilliant  
Chapter Twenty-One**

(**A/N**: LOL **Mrs. Alexander Sterling**'s review! Maybe I will, but not right now. :D Maybe in the next few...?

Anyways, this is Chapter Twenty-One, letting you into the mind of Alexander Sterling. No change after the bat.

Oh, and sorry for updating so late. I feel like an alarm clock fail, for some strange reason.)

I rose from the coffin, gently nudging Raven as I did so. We have been camping out in my parents's house for more than a week, and already Raven has been badgering me about showing her around Romania. I denied her before, because the weather was looking horrid these days.

To be honest, I was afraid that we'd bump into any of my friends or ex-girlfriends. I was scared that they'd do what Demile did, and criticize Raven and me together, eventually forcing me to choose.

"Tonight?" she asked, her eyes filled with hope. "Come on, Alexander! It's a clear night, the stars are out..."  
Through my teeth, I replied, "Fine."

**^o^**

Raven was right. The night sky was beautiful, painted here and there with the brightest of stars. The thing that stood out the most, though, was the glistening moon.

Perfect night for a make-out.

We walked on the sidewalk, passing by several people who nodded at us. Obviously they weren't making fun of our clothing, since some of them dressed like us.

"Where do you hang out?" Raven asked eagerly.

I didn't want to tell her about the Bat Bar, where I had met a lot of my conquests. But, seeing as how we'll pass by it soon, I might as well.

"There's this great club near here. It's called the Bat Bar," I explained. "Every teenager goes there. It's just as amazing as the Coffin Club, except at the Bat Bar, you have to be a vampire." I whispered the last word, although I didn't doubt that the couple passing us weren't vampires.

"Ooh." Raven looked interested. "Can we go in, Alexander? Just for a drink?"

I sighed. "Fine."

The end of the line was just a little bit ahead of us. The front of the line was way ahead of us, and right through the front doors. Tonight the bar would be packed.

Hopefully, not with my old friends.

After half an hour, we finally reached the front. The man looked at our necks, then admitted us in.

The Bat Bar looked exactly as it had years ago. I remember sitting on the barstool on the far left, ordering bloody shots for all the pretty girls I could see. It was such a long time ago since I'd last been here, I was surprised I even remembered.

Raven grabbed my arm excitedly. "This is amazing!"

I laughed, trying to mask my true feelings. "Yeah, it is. This bar received four and a half stars, last time I remember. The reviewer even called it..."

My voice trailed off.

Raven nudged me. "What?"

"They called this place, 'Bloody Brilliant'!" I announced, then turned around and tickled her tiny waist. "Come on, lover girl, let's go get a drink."

As we headed towards the bartender, I saw that some people have stopped drinking and dancing and started staring at me. I recognized a few of them, and instantly blushed. Some of them used to hang out with me, back when I was a ladies man. Back when I was sure I'd never be tied up.

"Two bloody shots, please," Raven said, in her best attempt at a Romanian accent.

The bartender chuckled and began pouring our drinks. Just as he handed them over, the music cut out, and a voice rose from the crowd.

"Alexander Sterling?"


	23. Chapter TwentyTwo

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

(**A/N**: Sorry for not updating in 2 days, been kinda busy! :P

Here is Chapter Twenty-Two, in the eyes of Raven Madison.)

Alexander's face turned paler, if possible, at the sound of his name being called out. His body straightened up instantly, although he looked as if he wasn't going to turn around and acknowledge that somebody had recognized him.

I turned around for him, and instantly locked eyes with a gorgeous guy. He had shiny green eyes, spiky black hair, and a ravishing smile.

"Hello." His smile widened. "Who are you?"

Alexander, obviously hearing somebody talking to me, finally turned around. Instead of being happy that one of his presumed friends had remembered him, he looked annoyed.

"Get out of here, Pierce," Alexander snapped. "Raven and I are trying to spend some time together."

Pierce winked at me. "So your name is Raven. That's an awfully pretty name, but it definitely suits you."

Alexander's hands curled into fists. "Go away, Pierce. Seriously. You're bothering not only me, but my fiancee."

Pierce looked shocked. He pointed at Alexander, then at me. "Seriously, girl? You're with him?"

I nodded, wrapping an arm around Alexander's waist. "He's mine."

Pierce smirked. "I guess quiet painter guys are your type. That's great, then, because I like painting too."

"You seem fairly flamboyant, though," I pointed out. "So maybe not."

It was Alexander's turn to smirk. "You're crazy for thinking you could steal this girl from me," Alexander said. "She's mine. She's been mine for a while now, and we're getting married soon. I even bit her."

"So she was a human, huh?" Pierce chuckled. "I would've personally waited until after the wedding to bite her. They say that vampire bites are very . . . _aphrodisiac_. So, when's the wedding? Should I bring the booze?"

"You're not invited," snarled Alexander, pulling me away from the boy.

We headed onto the dance floor, which was filled with anorexically skinny girls in micromini skirts and lacy bras - I mean, _shirts_ - grinding on any boy they could get onto. One girl went for Alexander, and he immediately pushed her off, hitting her head onto some other girl's.

"Who was that?" I asked over the fast beat of the song.

Alexander gritted his teeth as we danced. "Just some dude I knew. A sleazeball. That's why I wanted you to keep away from him."

I nodded.

The fast song deteriorated into a slow song, and several dejected sluts - _girls _- walked off the dance floor to pursue guys who would buy them drinks. Alexander and I, along with a few sensible gothic couples, slow danced to the soft beat.

"When will we wed?" I found myself asking.

Alexander smiled. "Yesterday, while you were talking with my mother, I asked my father that, too. He said that we should have it as soon as possible. So...how's tomorrow?"


	24. Chapter TwentyThree

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

(**A/N: **Sorry again for late update :P I'm starting to get off my game, and I'm pretty mad about it myself. Sometimes I wish I could just give this up, like I've done with a lot of other stories, but then I remember that other people are waiting for an update, and I should get my whiny ass off Rock Bottom and actually work on this. Well, here it is. Chapter Twenty-Three, the wedding, in Raven's Point Of View.)

It was the night I've been waiting for ever since I found out that Alexander was a vampire.

I waited patiently outside of the ballroom that our wedding was being held in, waiting for my cue to enter. There were only six people in there: Jameson, Alexander, his parents, the organ player, and the vampire priest (I don't know the official term, but I'm pretty sure it's not vampire priest. But it's close enough).

I heard the organ player begin a dismal version of the wedding march, and I opened the door nervously. Dressed in a small strapless black dress with a full skirt, I walked swiftly past Alexander's parents and to the makeshift altar.

Alexander smiled at me. Through his smile, I could see a tiny pang of something else. I couldn't be sure what it was, though.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony," began the vampire priest.

I shyly looked down, waiting for the priest to get to the vows. After what seemed like eleven hours, he turned to Alexander.

"Do you, Alexander Sterling," the priest said to my beloved, "take Raven Madison to be your wife in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Alexander vowed. I heard a deeper meaning in those words, and I smiled. Tears sprang to my eyes.

The priest turned to me. "Do you, Raven Madison, take Alexander Sterling to be your husband in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon him your heart's deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him as long as you both shall live?"

I weakly smiled, tears rolling down my cheeks. "I will."

The priest grinned, exposing for one second his vampire fangs. Raising two delicately crafter silver rings (one for Alexander, one for me), he proclaimed something, but I was too busy weeping to listen.

Alexander first took a ring and, sliding it onto my ring finger, devoted himself. Then I grabbed a ring and placed it onto his ring finger, devoting myself.

My vampire bite tingled, just as the priest ended the ceremony.

"You may now kiss the bride," he said.

Alexander smiled, and leaned forward. Kissing me gently, I heard the sound of Jameson, the organ player, and my parents-in-law clapping.

**^o^**

"I'm lucky," Alexander said to me on our way to the small reception. Jameson had promised that he'd only invited a few more people to join us in our party. "I have a great wife."

"I have a perfect husband," I gushed.

Mr. Sterling smiled at us. "It's a good day when you get to see your dashing son get wed to such a beautiful girl."

"Thank you," I replied.

We reached the Sterling estate. Passing through the gate, I instantly noticed black roses sprinkled on the porch. Exactly as I'd pictured the reception.

Mrs. Sterling grinned. "It's a few of Alexander's friends that we thought would help us out with it. They're very nice, so you don't have to worry."

We headed inside, and were instantly greeted by twenty people I have never seen before in my entire life, and Pierce, holding several bottles of "wine".

Alexander and I made the rounds, shortly before dinner was served. We sat at a long table, surrounded by Alexander's friends.

"Congratulations," cheered a girl named Havena, in a white cocktail dress. "I bought you both matching pillows for your coffin."

I grinned. "Thank you."

"You're so pretty," Havena's friend Pippa said. "How did you get your hair like that?"

I touched my ungroomed hair. "I didn't do anything."

Pippa gasped. "You're meaning to tell me that that's _natural_? You must be joking."

I laughed. "I'm not."

With my peripheral vision, I noticed Alexander talking to a bunch of guys. One of them in particular looked like Criss Angel.

After eating our extremely rare steaks, we started dancing. The organ player had decided to become the DJ of the night, and was blasting "Thriller". After a while, I couldn't find Alexander anymore. I headed out in the porch just in case he was there.

Alexander was there. He stood there with his hands in his dress pants' pockets, staring at the moon.

"Hey, wifey," he teased, although he hadn't turned around to see if it was me. "How's it going back there?"

"Fine," I responded. "They're going to be blasting The Klaxons soon. I know how you like 'Magick'. Let's dance."

Alexander grinned. "Just so you know, we're not spending our honeymoon in my parents's house." He winked at me, then headed back inside.

I have no idea what that means.


	25. Chapter TwentyFour

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

(**A/N**: Oh no, I do believe that we are going to get rated R. But the question is, do the fans want to get this rated R? Do they want to at least be told that they have sex, or for me to just cut it to the "night" after? Oh well, for now, they'll be partying until the sun rises. This is Chapter Twenty-Four, in the eyes of Alexander Sterling.

P.S. PLEASE PLEASE review and tell me what I should do for Chapter Twenty-Five! Stizzle, or no stizzle?)

_Magick, without tears_

_Magick, without tears_

_Magick, without tears_

_The magick-al vaneer_

Raven and I were dancing like crazy. I didn't even notice that it was already nearing dawn, or that the sun would be rising soon. Many of our friends were leaving, but I didn't care. I was too busy practicing my 1-2 Step with Raven. And I do admit, I was failing quite a bit.

"I don't think I'm doing this right," I laughed.

Raven giggled. "At least you're trying. So where's our honeymoon going to be, if not here?"

I didn't know what to say to that. Should I come clean and tell her that we were going to be spending it in my family's vacation house, right next to Dracula's castle?

"Uh, it's a surprise. I'll take you there after I get this done."

Raven stopped dancing. "I want to see it now!"

"Don't be a Veruca Salt, love," I said, motioning for her to dance again. "I'll show you soon enough. Now, how do you do that slide thing?"  
**^o^**

"Whoa." Raven's exclamation made me laugh. "This is where we're going?"

"Yeah. We've already got a coffin for us in there, with our matching pillows and blankets and all the stuff that our friends have bought." Well, my friends, but I wanted her to feel welcome here. "Come on, let's go inside."  
The door creaked, just how I'd remembered it used to. I enjoyed the idea of spending a week or so in here with my lovely Raven, but a new problem formed in my head. One that I could never really talk about to my mother or father. One that would be facing me in no time.

I cleared my throat. "Want me to give you a tour?"

Raven, mesmerized by the dustiness, simply nodded.

We walked around the house. I pointed out the living room, kitchens, bathrooms, and stuff, before we found _the_ destination.

It was a simple black painted room, with spiderwebs clinging on to all of the furniture but the coffin. My painting easel, along with my acrylics, watercolours, and homemade paints, were in the corner. There was a big screen TV with an immense collection of scary movies (not including the Scary Movies), a soft velvet cushioned couch, and a closet for us to use. There were windows, but they were all heavily draped by extremely thick black curtains. The rest of our stuff were moved into the other corner.

"Nice," Raven said. "I like it here."

"I hoped you would." I smiled nervously.


	26. Chapter TwentyFive

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

(**A/N**: Here it is, Chapter Twenty-Five. This kind of made me cringe, because personally I've never really done sex scenes in stories. I think I butchered it quite a bit. Prepare yourself for the cringe-worthy climax, then, if you want to read on. The beginning is Raven's point of view, but after the first bat the rest of it is Alexander's.)

This is really quite embarrassing. To me, at least. Alexander and I are sitting on the velvet couch, watching the Bela Lugosi _Dracula_, my all-time favorite. But I can't focus on the movie. I'm too busy worrying about what happens after the credits roll.

I've never really discussed the idea of sex with Alexander. Just the thought of it makes me cringe. I didn't even bother thinking about having sex wtih Alexander, until it's already looming in front of us like a smoke screen.

While I'm silently freaking out, Alexander's expression remains blank and attentive to the screen. Why wasn't this freaking him out, too? After all, it was _him_ I was worried about. Do vampires . . . you know . . . work _that way_?

After seventy-five minutes of quiet torture (and I'm not talking about the film), Alexander quietly closed the TV.

Silence filled the room like helium in a balloon. I was feeling slightly lightheaded. Biting my lip nervously, I glanced over at him. He was frozen in a state that I was sure he would not awaken from. But the sun was rising, and we had to get to our coffin sooner rather than later. Even if we weren't going to sleep.

Shudder...

"Are you okay?" Alexander asked me slowly.

I nodded, staring at my feet. "Nervous," I managed to choke out, blush rising to my cheeks. "I'm just so . . . nervous."

Alexander smiled at me. "Everything will be all right, Raven. Hey, we've overcome a lot. We lived through the Maxwells, Demile, Trevor . . . Why are we worried about something so trivial when we've done worse things in our lives?"

I sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Don't guess." Alexander gently held my hand. "Come on, we should go to bed now."

We headed to the coffin, which sat right in the middle of the room. He opened the coffin lid, exposing the matching pillows, blankets, and the satiny black interior. There was enough space in it to fit three people in it, so we didn't have to worry about not having enough room.

The smoke screen loomed over us...

**^o^**

I've encountered the weirdest things in my life. A two-headed snake. A man named Brittany. My Aunt Jemima's pancakes (yes, I really have an Aunt Jemima, and her pancakes are _disgusting_).

But nothing was weirder than sex right now. I mean, it doesn't feel bad or anything. It's kind of nice, except that at the beginning Raven told me that I hurt her. And I was bewildered; how do I _hurt _somebody having sex? I thought it was just, you know, stick it in and move. I didn't expect it to hurt _for her_. If I had known, I wouldn't've planned this honeymoon. I hate to see my Raven in pain.

But I have no choice. After all, she is under me and all.

She sighs again, and I move again, trying my best not to move so much that she lets out one of those strangled "ow"s that she's been choking out. It's hard for me to contain myself, though: I've never seen Raven naked before, and with the night-vision . . . well, all I can say for sure is that Raven is _beautiful_.

"Alexander . . ." she whispers, and makes that sighing sound again. I don't know what she wants from me, so I just keep moving, because that's the only realistic thing she'd want from me right now.

We didn't even have to talk about . . . you know, _condoms_ and stuff. We were married now, so who cares if Raven gets pregnant? I'd be a good dad.

"Ow."

I grit my teeth. "Did I hurt you?"

Raven looked up at me, smiling weakly. "I'm fine. Just keep going."

"No. I hurt you." I tried to back out of it (literally), but she grabbed my shoulders painfully, lightly digging her black nails into my skin.

"Please keep going." She smiled at me, brighter this time, and I had no choice but to start again.

**^o^**

Raven lay sleeping beside me. I delicately stroked her hair, still gaining my breath. Raven had practically passed out after what'd happened. I can't even explain what had happened. Hell, I don't even _know_ what happened, but I think it was good. It _felt_ good.

"I love you," I told her sleeping figure. "You're gorgeous, smart, caring, and I'm happy that you're all mine."

I wrapped myself partly in a blanket. The rest of it I tucked around Raven. I kissed her forehead, and then tried to fall asleep. But the audacity of what we just did was all that filled my mind. I was so tired, but I couldn't sleep, because I was so worried that I did something wrong, that she wouldn't like me after it was over.

I felt a sudden vibration in the side pocket of my side of the coffin. I gently pulled out my cell phone and found that Pierce, my childhood friend, was calling me. Hoping that Raven was in a deep sleep, I answered.

"How's the honeymoon?" he howled, girl laughter in the background. Obviously he was having his own little party. "How many did you use?"

How many _what_? I simply said, "It's going great, but I don't appreciate you calling me-"

"She good?"

I rolled my eyes. "Pierce, why do you care?"

"If she doesn't like you, then direct her to me. That's all." I could practically see Pierce's snarky grin as he made that comment.

"Fuck you," I told him, before hanging up. Tucking away the phone, I turned my attention back to Raven, who was now drowsily awake.

"Alexander?" she whispered.

I smiled and curled her up in my arms. "It's okay, love. Go to sleep."


	27. Chapter TwentySix

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

(**A/N**: Here's Chapter Twenty-Six, in the eyes of Demile. After the bat, it's Jagger's POV. BTW, since it's Demile and Jagger's POVs, obviously the time isn't exactly the same as Alexander and Raven's. Just three days behind. But they'll catch up. I wanted to write this because I thought that I left Jagger at a very awkward place (in a tiny room with a vampire slut). Besides, I need a break from writing awkward lemons. :P)

Stupid Jagger. Stupid Alexander. Stupid Coffin Club. Stupid life.

First of all, he _rejected _me. Me! The most beautiful girl in the world. If people were able to take pictures of me, I'd be plastered all over fashion magazines in France. Obviously Jagger was just intimidated by my beauty.

Second of all, Alexander had _ditched_ me. Clearly he was going crazy, because nobody, and I mean _nobody_, ditches me. I'm the hottest girl on the planet - vampire or human - and nobody ditches me without going to an asylum.

Or a graveyard.

Three of all, the Coffin Club reeks of coppery blood, tonic, and vamp sweat. And the tiny room that Alexander and I had rented out is fucking _tiny._

Four of all, since I can't see myself in mirrors or anything, I don't know if I look good or not. I hate being a vampire.

Jagger had left me shortly after I'd pulled him into the room. He was completely against us having some _time _together, partly because he said that he had to get going. He was a total mood killer.

Whatever. I'll find somebody new.

**^o^**

"Welcome back, son," my father said to me. "Luna's in the backyard, with a nice neighborhood boy."

"Better not be." We lived among humans, for God's sake. Luna better not have any vampiric ideas . . .

I headed out into the backyard, where I saw Luna sitting on the black iron bench, kissing the human boy (!) with a passion. Then she bit him, so quickly that he probably wouldn't've even known if it wasn't so painful. I watched as she drained him quickly, and then dropped him onto the grass as she wiped her lips.

"Jag!" she cheered. Running up to me, she enveloped herself in my still arms. "Glad you're back! Did you, you know . . ."

"No, I didn't. Sterling's still out there, somewhere." I sat down on the other bench. "I'm sorry, sis. I tried."

Luna waved her hand, as if to shoo away the apology. "It's all right. Well, where's Demile?"

"Prowling around Coffin Club guys," I replied with a scowl. "She jumped me."  
"No way." Luna started laughing. "I can't believe this. I knew she was kind of a skank, but I didn't realize she was _that_ big of a skank."

I grinned. "Lucky I pushed her off, huh?"

Luna laughed, but it died quickly in her throat. "What are we going to do now?"

"Do what we did before everything got screwed up. Go to sleep in a coffin. Get dressed in dark clothing. Drain our neighbors of blood. The usual."

But secretly, I vowed to continue getting revenge. I don't care if it's not even my revenge to give. I want to ruin Alexander Sterling, and what better way to ruin him than through Raven Madison?

"Luna," I said slowly, "we're going to make our lives a little better."


	28. Chapter TwentySeven

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

(**A/N**: This chapter is in Raven's Point Of View ENTIRELY. Yes, I am back to the couple. No, they will not engage in inappropriate behaviour that is unsuitable to children...until the end. But even then, there is no description, really.)

I woke up. Blinking wildly, I looked around my uncomfortably warm surroundings. No doubt I was in a casket, but it was cushioned, which was completely different than the other coffins I've been in (by others, I mean Alexander's).

But I remember everything that happened last night. Every touch, ever move. Alexander was careful, all right. Almost too careful for me to have liked. I was a _freak_. You know, in the sexual way. I can't explain it right, mostly because I'm embarrassed to think of Alexander and me..._connected_.

I grew aware of my sleeping lover beside me, and turned slightly to look at him. His eyelids were closed gently, his mouth pressed softly together. His eyelashes were brushing his cheeks. The pale skin on his face and back (nothing else was exposed, but I felt his arm around my waist) were a bit wet, which I figured to be sweat.

Could vampires sweat? I'm sure that since Alexander's body can...you know...do other things, then it's possible for him to sweat. But it's so weird to think that vampires could.

I touched the arm he'd twisted around my arm, feeling its muscles. I've never actually held a boy's arm like this before. When did he get these biceps? I had the strange urge to see if he had abs, but if I turned him over, he'd surely wake up.

Plus, by turning him over, I'd be revealing his...well, you know... And I don't know if I can handle seeing it right now. I'm kind of nerve-wracked about everything.

His eyes opened, revealing bright red eyes that glowed beautifully at me. A small smile formed on his pale red lips.

"Raven." I could feel his eyes racking over my exposed body, which I'd forgotten about. I blushed slightly, wrapping the soft duvet around my bare chest.

He laughed. "I've seen it already, Raven. Don't be worried." With a kind smile, he playfully swiped away the sheets. Removing his arm from around me, he turned until he was facing the lid of the coffin. Thank goodness the blanket was covering _that area_.

Needless to say, he does have abs. A glorious six-pack. I want to run my fingers over it, but I'm afraid that it would give Alexander a different idea than what I'd want. Even though the sex last night was...indescribably good.

He gently pushed the lid open. The dim light of the candles he'd lit up around the room hit my eyes, and I scowled. Alexander smiled at me and stood up, the blankets falling around his ankles. I don't even want to describe his _thing_, mostly because I'm kind of embarrassed about looking at it myself.

But I do have one question. _How did he fit that in?_

"Let's get dressed, wifey," Alexander said softly, his face lit up wtih happiness. "I think you will approve of today's activities."

"What are they?" I asked, beginning to dig into my bag.

Alexander laughed. "Absolutely nothing."

**^o^**

Alexander took me to an ice cream parlour just a few blocks away from the Bat Bar. It was called Cold Ones, and featured the newest flavour, Blood Brownie, which was a combo of strawberry syrup and brownie chunks in strawberry ice cream. Since Alexander and I had already had our fill of blood (there was a small blood chamber in the basement of the house), we ordered two Blood Brownies in cups and headed to a table for four together.

"How do you like Romania?" he asked huskily.

I smiled, indulging in the ice cream. "It's delicious."

He snickered, but his happiness soon melted away. A scowl formed on his face. "What are _you_ doing here?" he spat.

I turned around.

Jagger and Luna were standing behind me, their eyes full of regret. Jagger's look, however, had a bit of an edge to it. I immediately grabbed Alexander's hand.

"No need to be so handy," Jagger said softly. "We come in peace."

"Right." I didn't believe him for one second. "So, why are you here?"

Luna smiled at me. Her white-blond hair, combined with her corsetted pink dress, made her look even more like a gothic fairy than usual. "We're not trying to start a fight here, Raven." She giggled. "In fact, we were hoping to join you two."

"We'll only ever let you join us if we were planning on jumping off a cliff, and you'd go first," I answered curtly. "Now, if you'll excuse us-"

Luna pulled out the chair beside me. Sitting comfortably, she replied, "Now, now, Raven. I want us to be friends. After all, we are both vampire girls. You know how that goes, right? I think Katy Perry even wrote a song about us."

"That was _California_ girls," I dared to replied, but I didn't, because that would mean that she would know I listen to Katy Perry. And that's a problem in itself.

Luna giggled. "You know it, right? 'Romanian girls, we're unforgettable, Elviras, corsetted dresses. Palest skin-'"

Jagger silenced her. "Luna. _Shut up_."

Luna frowned at her brother. "Have a heart, Jag. I'm trying to talk to my new BFF here. Jesus."

Jagger returned the frown. Turning to Alexander, he said, "I absolutely hate that chick."

Alexander nervously asked, "Luna?"  
Shaking his head, he replied, "No, that slut. Demi or whatever. She was trying to drag me into this stupid room at _my _club. Usually I'd be up to it, but she was giving me this creepy vibe, like 'I've-been-with-tons-of-other-guys' creepy."

For once, Alexander laughed with his foe. "I agree."

"But then, why'd you go off with her?" I asked softly.

Alexander looked at me intensely. "I do admit, she approached me at a vulnerable moment. I was so...I can't even describe it. But Raven, I came back for you. I didn't do anything really wrong with her. I regretted every second of being with her. Don't you see that?"

I felt the parlour customers staring at us. We were, after all, having a very personal conversation in front of them. Not to mention that we were all goths, secretly glaring at each other, with ice cream melting all over the table thanks to my faulty cup.

"Let's go, Alexander," I whispered.

**^o^**

Alexander and I were staring at the coffin once again. We were standing close together, my hand in his, as we observed our coffin.

"It's almost sunrise. Let's just get into this thing," Alexander said gruffly.

I shot him a look.

Alexander smirked. "We don't have to do it tonight, Raven. You know that. You have nothing to be worried about, anyways. You already had your first time, so it won't hurt anymore anyways."

I stared blankly at Alexander. It wasn't like I didn't want to have sex. I was just more conscious of what it was like, so I was worried that he wouldn't want it anymore with me.

"But..." I said in a tiny voice, "do you want it?"

Alexander laughed as he lay down in the coffin. "Of course I do, Raven. God, you're so beautiful. I was angry at myself tonight, even, that I proposed that we go to the ice cream parlour. We could've spent our time here."

So Alexander has needs, apparently. Gosh, I forgot that he was, after all, a guy. And I do owe him a lot for setting all this up.

So, instead of blatantly refusing and getting angry at him for being so sexually minded, I laugh, shrug off my clothes, and join him in the coffin.


	29. Chapter TwentyEight

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

(**A/N**: Thanks for the reviews, guys! But I do have something to say to **lolo14998**: Yes, I know the lemons are awkward (correct spelling), but I thought it would be weird if they were all for it, all the time. You know, like jumping-into-the-coffin, let's-get-kinky-with-it sex, especially since Alexander is Raven's first boyfriend (well, husband now). If I ever did that, it would be rated R and there would be less dialogue. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, I'm just pointing that out. BTW, who's Cloud? Are you referring to Claude, because I have no intention of adding him, unless the audience demands it.

Here's Chapter Twenty-Eight. Starts off with Jagger (you are welcome, **emodinosaurX3** ;) ) and then, after our winged creature, goes back to Alexander's POV. Third part is Jagger's again. Same night as last chapter.)

I watched their retreating backs, seething with anger. If any of the patrons saw me like this, red eyes and all, they would clearly think that something was wrong with me.

"This ice cream is delicious," exclaimed Luna, as she began finishing off Raven's ice cream. I stared at the monstrosity that this place called 'Blood Brownies'. It looked like diarrhea in a cup.

"Stop that." I sat across from her, and disgustedly flicked away the remnants of Alexander's so-called dessert. "We need to get our plan in action, and fast, before this gets any worse."

Luna frowned at me. "But how will we do that? They're always together now, and they're so _snarky_. I thought this was going to be easy. You said so yourself."

"That was before I saw the ring on Raven's finger," I growled. "They're married, Luna. Your chance is over. She's the vampire wife to him. We're too late."

"We've always been too late, Jags," Luna said, finishing off the cup of doom. "Let's just face it, and leave them alone. Besides, why don't we just go find some hot football player here and leave it at that? I don't need Sterling, anyways. He's much better off with Raven."

"She's married to him." Suddenly, a plan formed in my head. "I have a great idea, Luna. Do you know a lot of Alexander's former significant others and some of his best guy friends?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Sometimes my sister is so clueless.

"They're married, Luna. But two out of three marriages end in divorce. And we're going to make them part of that statistic." I threw my battered black cell phone at her. "Call the girls. Tell them to meet us at our house tonight. If we can't budge Alexander, we're going to bother Raven."

**^o^**

I had to admit, I was getting better at this.

"God," I heard Raven whisper from under me. "Oh my God." She sounded so out of breath it made me feel... Well, I don't know what it made me feel like, but it fueled me like gas in a car.

"Faster," she urged. "Oh, God..."

Sucking my breath in, I tried to keep going. But I knew that I was going to reach breaking point soon. Hopefully Raven wouldn't mind.

"Alexander..." she moaned. "Oh my..."

I shut my eyes quickly, as I reached that particular point. As Raven stroked my forearms, her eyes probably closed in ecstasy, I groaned and let the feeling take over me.

**^o^**

Six guys and nine girls stared at me from the house's living room. I have never seen them before in my entire life, but I know that I need to get to know them now.

"Welcome," I said grandly. "I assure you, this will all work out fine."

"Why are we here?" called out one guy. "Are we having an orgy or something?" He winked at the girls, who turned up their noses at him. Obviously this dude considered himself a friend to Alexander. Alexander must not think so.

"No, we're not going to have group sex, or a rainbow party, or anything of the like. We're going to sabotage a married couple." I grinned wolfishly at my audience, while Luna sat at the back filing her nails.

"You mean Raven and Alexander?" asked one girl. "I met them at their wedding. They're so good together. I wouldn't want to break them up."

"Yeah!" piped up another chick. "They're so adorable. And Raven has great hair. I can't believe it's natural."

Luna laughed. "How could it be?"

"Enough!" I yelled. "We're trying to sabotage them. Girls, you will seduce Alexander at scheduled times, so that Raven will get intensely jealous. Guys, after the girls have made Raven feel inferior, you will all charm her. One of you should end up attempting to have sex with her. If this plan succeeds, then Alexander will catch Raven and break up with her."

My audience stared blankly at me.

"I'll give you the details later. Tomorrow, show up over here and dress sexy. We have a lot of work to do."


	30. Chapter TwentyNine

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

(**A/N**: Here's to Chapter Twenty-Nine, via Raven. And you'll just have to see, **lolo14998**. ;) )

I woke up naked beside Alexander again. Except this time, Alexander was the one staring. His blood-red eyes were studying my exposed body, as if I was a deluxe sandwich served at the best deli in Romania.

"Good morning," he whispered weakly. "Last night was fun."  
"Understatement," I muttered under my breath. "It wasn't _fun._ It was...exhilarating. Even better than the first time."

"What was wrong with the first time?" Alexander said, pretending to be mad at me. But he was smiling widely at me, ruining the illusion. "I thought it was amazing."

"It was," I agreed. "But practice makes perfect."  
"Guess we'll have a while to practice, then." Alexander winked at me. "So, tonight I think we should go back to the Bat Bar. You like it better there, right? We can have Vampire Vodka, and maybe some Bat Beer..."

I loved the names of the drinks at the Bat Bar. They were so cheesy, it was brilliant. Bloody brilliant. Man, I love that phrase. I use it every time I need to describe something good.

We got dressed, the shyness of yesterday gone. Last night, I saw Alexander fully naked, all at once, and I had liked it, and he apparently liked my naked body, so it was all good now. Nervousness didn't seem to exist in this room anymore.

We headed out to the Bat Bar, and bolted down a few drinks. As we danced, I noticed several girls gyrating close to Alexander. They were wearing tiny miniskirts - the size and length of my belt - and tight corsetted tops with a huge amount of cleavage showing on the top. I tried to ignore them, up until one them grinded up against Alexander, her legs moving against one of his. The girl was moving her hips like a pole dancer, and it disgusted me. Alexander, however, didn't do anything about it.

Angry, I stormed off the dance floor and headed over to the bartender for another drink.

"A bloody shot," I ordered, forcing myself onto a barstool. The bartender caught my expression and chuckled.

"Your boyfriend being a dick?" he guessed.

I answered sadly, "No. The girls around him want to get on his, though."

The bartender slid two full shot glasses in front of me. "You poor thing. Oh, yeah, by the way, that guy over there bought you a drink earlier, and told me to give it to you when you sat down."

I looked to where the bartender pointed, and locked eyes with the most gorgeous guy in the room (other than Alexander, but he was too _busy_ to qualify). He had long black hair, an eyebrow piercing, and the cutest smile. He headed over to me.

"Hello," he greeted. "I assume you received my drink."

"Yeah, thanks," I said. I noticed from my peripheral that Alexander had seen me with this guy, and was trying to head this way.

The guy grinned. "You're quite beautiful," he complimented. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sebastian."

"I'm Raven." I paused for a moment to gulp down the drinks. "So, what's up?"  
"Hanging around. I get bored sometimes, and this place is fairly interesting, especially since you're here." Sebastian grinned. "Do you have a boyfriend, Raven?"

"Husband, actually."

Sebastian leaned close to my ear, startling me. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him, Raven." He pulled away and winked at me.

From the dance floor, I clearly heard Alexander yell, "Raven!" But I was too busy feeling a little dizzy. The drinks weren't doing me good, I suppose.

"Whoa!" I yelled, as I nearly fell onto Sebastian. He steadied me with laughter. "I'm sorry. The drinks..."

"You're a lightweight, then. That's cool. So, do you want to dance for a while?"

I looked back at the dance floor. Alexander had girls crawling all over him, like ants on a discarded doughnut.

"Why not?" I said.


	31. Chapter Thirty

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty**

(**A/N**: Yes, the character of Sebastian is from _Love Bites_. I finally got the book two days ago, thank God. However, there are a few changes within his character in my story: 1) He USED to be Alexander's best friend. 2) The events of Love Bites hasn't happened. 3) He may have the dreadlocks, but not the sideburn-y things, because I don't care much for sideburns. Oh, and his hair is black. Uhhh...I don't know what else.

This is Chapter Thirty, in the eyes of one Alexander "The Stud" Sterling, as he watches his _wife_ talk with his _ex_-friend. Let's see what happens, shall we?)

The fast beat of the Paramore song that was playing was nothing compared to my heart. I watched, angrily, as Raven stormed off to the bartender. I would have followed her, but three girls whom I've never seen before in my life were gyrating on my legs and/or grinding themselves onto my ass.

I had to admit, this wasn't as sexy as I thought it would be. Instead of wanting to stay with these girls, I wanted to follow after Raven, and have a good time with her. But these girls weren't taking the hint that I didn't want to stay. In fact, even more girls were coming over.

Raven received two drinks from the bartender, and I felt relieved. Maybe she was coming over here to save me from these sluts. But my heart sank when the bartender pointed to somebody in the room. That second drink was probably for Raven as well, from some stupid dude who didn't understand what a diamond ring on her ring finger meant.

"Get off me," I spat to one of the girls, who scowled.

"No way! You're so hot," she complimented, grinding on my knee. I couldn't help but grimace at the feel of it. The only person that I'd let them do that is Raven, and she was busy talking to-

My heart stopped. Sebastian, my old friend turned enemy, stood with Raven. They were talking, with smiles plastered on their faces. I watched him as he leaned into her, and I frowned, waiting for him to kiss her. Instead, he whispered something into her ear, making her face turn bright red.

I tried to pry off the sluts to get to her. "Raven!" I called in desperation. But I wasn't sure if she even heard me at all.

Then the worst happens. She nearly falls on Sebastian, but he steadies her, leaving his hands on her shoulders. His mouth moved, and I wished that I could read lips. Raven looked over at me, and I tried to pry the girls off even more, but she looked away and said something to Sebastian. Sebastian grinned and they started walking over to me.

The girls seemed to be glued onto me. One of them grabbed my face and tried to kiss me, while another groped the front of my pants. Thanks, lady. You have just officially turned me off.

Sebastian and Raven stopped in front of me.

"Raven," I began, "it's not what it looks like, trust me. These girls-"

"Understandable," Sebastian said. "You're too busy being a stud to care for your _loving wife_, huh?"

So he knew that we were married. But why was he still going to dance with her? I stopped talking to Sebastian years ago, ever since he stole one of my girlfriends from me, but this...

They walked away, heading over for an empty spot just a few steps away. A new song, this time "The Only Exception" by Paramore, began playing. A slow song, but the girls kept on moving on me. Meanwhile, Raven placed her head on Sebastian's shoulder.

How dare he charm my wife? Talk to her, that's fine. Dance with her to a fast song, that's a little bit okay. But dancing with her to a slow song, with her head on your shoulder? NO. No. No. No.

With a sudden adrenaline rush, I brushed the girls off of me. Some of them fell onto the floor with high-pitched shrieks, but I didn't care. Sebastian had his arms around Raven, and he was whispering into her ear.

I did the first thing that came into my mind. I swung my fist into Sebastian's face. The response was almost immediate. Sebastian looked at me and, with a loud yell, pounced on me. We fought, fists flying and shouts exchanging.

"What are you doing? I'm _married_ to her!" I yelled at Sebastian, as I tried to rip out his eyebrow piercing.

Sebastian laughed bitterly. "She accepted my drink, therefore it is not my fault. Besides, who are you to talk? I'm merely comforting her because you're such a douchebag." He grabbed a fistful of my hair and grinned evilly, threatening to pull it off my head.

"Those girls were hitting on me, and I refused them!" I punched him quickly on the nose, causing blood to spurt from his nostrils. "You're trying to ruin my marriage with Raven! And we're still on our fucking honeymoon!"

Sebastian yelled, "Bastard!" and tried to claw at my face with his fingers.

I looked up, locking eyes with Raven. She looked shocked, but she still said, "Sebastian, stop!"

Sebastian ignored her, and continued trying to rip off my face. I don't understand why he's trying to do that.

I punched him again, this time against his left eye. He closed it in time, but I knew that I'd used enough force to give him a shiner.

The owner of the Bat Bar suddenly appeared, and the crowd watching us immediately thinned. He looked at us with disapproval. He'd obviously recognized me from way before, because he said in a low voice, "Sterling!"

Sebastian got off of me, clutching his nose. I stood up, my right leg feeling a little bad.

"Why am I not surprised?" the owner asked. "You're always here when there's a riot. I should kick you out for good!"

Raven wrapped her arms around me, pressing her face against my chest. I instantly calmed down.

"Fine, then," I said irritably. I headed for the exit, but the owner quickly stopped me.

"I said _should._ Didn't mean I will. You may cause riots, but you're an asset here. You bring the girls here, which attracts the boys." He pointed to Sebastian. "It's the other dude that I'm banning."

I grinned, returning Raven's embrace. "Thanks, dude."

The owner patted my shoulder. "No problem, Sterling. Now, as for you..." He gestured for Sebastian to leave.


	32. Chapter ThirtyOne

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty-One**

(**A/N**: Wow, my story's getting pretty long! Thank you, **lullabydoll456**! Though it would be amazing if this were a book, the series is owned by Ellen Schreiber, so I would get sued. Ah, well. That's why it's called FanFiction, I guess.

**K-Popgirl**: Sorry I couldn't answer you, mainly because your private messaging thingy is off. But I do intend on ending the story very soon, so I'm trying to churn out the rest of the story so that you guys won't end up waiting for a story that's never going to end. And also, Paramore is the best band alive. Hayley's hair pwns all.

Here's Chapter Thirty-One, ALL by Jagger.)

"Bloody Alexander," I muttered angrily under my breath. "Stupid idiot." He'd quickly stopped my plan, which was almost successful, if Sebastian hadn't put the moves on Raven _before_ they were alone.

I was pacing in a tight circle in the living room, surrounded by our group of vampires. Most of the original group never bothered to show up and go through with the plan, mainly because they had this idea that Alexander and Raven were adorable together.

Insert vampire puke here. I can't believe that the bloodthirsty girls could still be so mushy when it comes to romance. But then again, Luna is a tad obsessed with romance novels. You don't know how many girlie books I've stepped on when I was trying to get my black iPod from her room. I had to disinfect my foot after that, in fear that the lovey dovey words would get stuck on my toes.

"What will we do now, Jagger?" asked Luna. She, too, was disgruntled. "Our plan has failed."

"We can improvise," I answered, trying my best not to grit my teeth at the reminder of my ruined plan. "We're still going to need our _friends_, of course. But we're going to have to be better at this." I shot a glare at Sebastian, who was stretched out on a loveseat. "Especially you, Sebastian. We're going to have to rely a bit on you."

Sebastian grinned devilishly. "Excellent. I do love ruining Alexander's life."

"But since you got banned from the Bat Bar, we can't have our plans there." One of the girls pouted. "And I love the Bat Bar."  
"It's not nearly as good as the Coffin Club," I shot back quickly. That silenced the little bitch. "Anyways, we're going to need a lot more effort to make this work."

Luna smiled. "Of course we will. I was watching our plan from the sidelines last night, and I'd have to say . . . the girls were absolutely _pitiful_. Not one of you kissed him, groped him, or did anything that Raven would find disturbing enough to leave him."

I could instantly tell that Luna didn't like the girls that were helping us. But we needed to break up Raven and Alexander, even if it meant that one of them had to die.

Then, the idea hit me.

Alexander, Alexander, Alexander. Do you have any idea what I've got planned for you?

**^o^**

The rural town that Alexander and Raven used to live in looked even more conservative than when I'd last visited it. I watched as several girls in knit sweaters and jean skirts wink at me, and I felt the urge to hit the town and kiss (or kill) as many of those girls as I could. But that must wait.

The plane flight here, though, was agonizing to all of us, so my plan _has_ to work. Otherwise I'll be dealing with a load of grumpy sons-of-bitches and good-for-nothing vamps.

My plan was as diabolical as any other cartoon villain's master plan: I'd kidnap one of their families (specifically Raven's), and hold them hostage. In order to free them, Raven must die. Alexander, of course, would be annoyed with this, but I knew Raven would do anything for her family, even if she'd complained about them before.

Plus, she was a vampire. A simple stake and fire would suffice. It wouldn't be a dirty death at all.

I laughed as I headed towards the Madison home. I'd came across it when I first showed up here with Luna, and I'd remembered the address ever since. You know, just in case Alexander had chickened out and left her alone as a human.

I knocked on the door, anticipating the kidnapping. The rest of my posse crouched low, waiting to pounce and head on into the home.

A little boy, no older than my brother Valentine, answered the door. At first, he looked tired. Poor boy. I'd forgotten that humans usually weren't awake at one a.m.

But we did what we had to do.

**^o^**

"You're a monster," growled Raven's father, as I finished chaining him to the wall. After kidnapping the Madison family, we'd gone back to Romania, hiding in some Romanian billionaire's private jet. Luckily, they were stupid, and never bothered to check if they had any unwanted passengers.

If they had, they would have stumbled upon seventeen ravenous vampires, and three humans we were intending on keeping hostage. And that would not be very good . . . for them, at least.

Now, the Madisons were in my family's vacation home. My fifteen vamps and Luna were resting, having just replenished their thirst with our stored bottles of blood. Although it was almost sun-rise, and it had been two days since I'd made up this plan, I didn't feel like going to sleep.

"Why are you doing this?" asked the young boy. I felt somewhat sorry for him, but the emotion quickly left me,

I laughed. "Because I can." Ripping off a bit of duct tape, I placed it on his mouth and tightened the chains on his hands. Perfect.

I stared at Raven's mother, who was passed out. She had fainted from shock when we'd first brought them here. I had to say, this woman was too motherly for my taste.

Just to be fair, I tightened the chains on her.

Then I stepped back and admired my work. The three Madisons, chained up on a wall. It would be the last thing Raven would ever see, if my plan worked out correctly.


	33. Chapter ThirtyTwo

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

(**A/N**: This chapter's entirely in Raven's POV. And *spoiler, but not really spoiler* I know the ending of this entire story may be extremely cliche, but still. I'm working for most of the day to finish off the story, but I MIGHT do a sequel. MIGHT MIGHT MIGHT. For now, here's Raven!)

Alexander and I barely left the house. Okay, that sounded pretty wrong, but in a way it was the truth. After the whole fight thing in the Bat Bar, Alexander decided that we needed a few days indoors, just to ensure that we love each other.

Hello, dude? We're _married_. I wouldn't've agreed to this if I didn't love Alexander. Otherwise I'd be a twisted person. Like Trevor.

Speaking of Trevor...I wonder how he's doing. I don't really care about him anymore, but I'm wondering how he's faring. Maybe Jennifer and him have gotten together. That would be nice. As long as he's happy, then I guess it's all right. Umm...I mean, if he's happy, then he would never bother me ever again, and in a few decades he'll die and I won't have to worry about him because I'll be forever with Alexander.

I wonder how Dullsville's going, now that they know that Alexander's a vampire. And me.

Our honeymoon was ending soon. Soon, we'd have to find a house of our own. Preferably, close to the Bat Bar. Hell, maybe we can live here. It would be kind of fun.

Alexander stroked my bare back. We were lying together in our coffin. my head resting on his chest. We were both in a daze after sex. Yeah, we've gotten used to the idea of having sex with each other. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say that Alexander's GREAT.

"What are we doing today, Mrs. Sterling?" he murmured gently. "Do you want to stay in, watch another classic movie? Maybe some _Dracula_?"

I smiled against his chest. "I was hoping we could go to the Bat Bar."

His playful expression became serious. "No."

"Why not?" I asked softly. I didn't want to cause a fight; I just wanted to see the Bat Bar again.

"Because I don't like how that guy was hitting on you."

I retorted, "Well, I don't like how those girls were all over you. But that doesn't mean I want you to stop dancing, now does it?"

Alexander chuckled. "The entire time they were there, I was trying to pry them off. They were vampire girls, and they were very handsy. I didn't like a single second of it, Raven."

"Good." I looked up at him and smiled. "Shall we get up now?"

Alexander smirked. "All right. But I'm thinking that today we should go talk to my parents, ask when I should take out my stuff from their house and stuff."

"Where will we live?" I asked. "Here?"

Alexander grinned. "If you wish."

**^o^**

Alexander's mother smiled at us, happy tears appearing in her charcoal-lined eyes. She was happy that her son was growing up, and that I was not a gold digger. She simply handed me a small envelope, sealed, with the words RAVEN STERLING scrawled onto the front in Sharpie. No return address.

I took out the letter and unfolded the paper, while I tried to stop Alexander from reading it. I had a feeling it was personal. It said:

RAVEN,

WE HAVE YOUR FAMILY.

IF YOU WANT YOUR FAMILY TO LIVE, COME ALONE TO THE 24-HOUR CORNER STORE AT PRECISELY SUNSET ON TUESDAY. ONE OF MY FRIENDS WILL TAKE YOU TO YOUR FAMILY.

BE PREPARED TO DIE.

DO NOT TELL ANYBODY OF THIS.

IF YOU TELL, WE WILL KNOW, AND WE WILL KILL THEM ALL WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.

I gasped. Alexander tried to take the letter from my hand, but I hastily folded it away and shrugged at him.  
"A letter from Becky, with gossip about Trevor," I lied quickly. "He's...he's getting married to Jennifer."

Alexander raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. He turned to his mother and told her of our plans to stay in the vacation house, which made mer smile.

"Of course you can. You've always loved it there anyways," Alexander's mother (my mother-in-law) said. "I'll get Constantine and we'll help you take out some of your stuff. Plus, we have a belated wedding present for you."

"No need," I said softly.

She laughed. "I insist." Leaving us at the front door, she hurried away upstairs, only to return with a small white box. It had a tiny blood red bow on the top, its only decoration. She handed it to Alexander, who opened it on the spot.

Keys. To a car.

"I was lying about Constantine still sleeping. He's parking your new car at the front of your new house right now."

"What kind?" Alexander asked. I smiled at him, excited that we had a car. All we need now's a suitable job and a family...

Family...

Billy Boy. Mom. Dad. I can't just let them die because of me. I knew that Jagger or Luna or even disgusting Demile had sent this to me, to lure me to an empty clearing or something and kill me. But then they'll let the others go, and everything will be okay. I couldn't bear the idea of Billy Boy, the little snot that he was, dying because of me. Sure, I'd wanted that years ago, but now...

I stared down at the envelope in my hands, cursing silently at it. I knew that when Alexander thought I wasn't looking, he was going to read it, and then try to thwart it.

Tomorrow's Tuesday. I would have to go. I loved Alexander, and my new in-laws, and the Bat Bar, and sex with Alexander and Alexander... But my family needs me.

I _need _to go. It's not a choice anymore.

While Alexander and his mother blab about the car, I quietly plan my escape.


	34. Chapter ThirtyThree

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

(**A/N: **Here's chapter 33. First part is Raven, second part is Jagger, third part is Alexander. Enjoy!)

"So, are you going to tell me what that letter really said?" Alexander said softly. "Because I'm pretty damn sure that you were lying."

We were relaxing on the couch, having just finished moving in Alexander's things into our house. And before that, Alexander and I had taken a short joy ride in our new crimson-coloured BMW M3. My head was nestled onto his shoulder, and I breathed in as much of his signature scent, Drakar, as I could.

In less that twenty-four hours, I will be dead.

"It was really from Becky," I insisted, hoping I sounded more convincing than I thought. "She said that she missed me, told me a little bit about Dullsville, and then ended it with some gossip about our least favorite person."

Alexander looked at me, his beautiful brown eyes scorching into mine. "Are you sure?" he asked. "When you read it, you looked pretty sad."

"Well, Jennifer's a bitch," I said, pressing my nose closer to his neck. "But that's it. Nothing else."

Alexander smiled. "All right then. I'm sorry for being so nosy. It's just . . . everything's going so fast. Me turning you . . . coming here . . . getting married . . . moving in . . . Do you think we rushed into all of this?"

I bit my lip. "Of course not. But . . . do you think that we did?"

"A bit. But I don't regret it," he assured me. Kissing me softly on the forehead, he gently got off the couch and walked out of the room.

"Where are you going?" I called.

He did not answer.

I sank slowly into the couch. I wanted to spend every last free moment with Alexander before I went. And he just walked away from me. I wrapped my arms around my knees and sighed sadly.

I don't want to die so soon in my life, when everything was getting so good. But my family needs me to come, or else their lives would have been for nothing.

**^o^**

"Tomorrow is the day," I announced to the annoyed Madison family. "Tomorrow, you'll either live or die. It's all up to your rebellious, hateful daughter, Raven."

The little boy glared at me. "Where is she?"

"She's married," I spat in reply. "To Sterling. She's a foolish vampiress. But she won't be, if tomorrow night goes as planned."

"Stop telling us all this," said Raven's father, clearly irritated. "Why don't you tell us this later?"

In return for his interruption, I slapped him - hard - across the face. I knew that would leave a bruise on his disgraceful mug.

"Don't you _dare _interrupt me," I snarled. "Or I'll kill you and send the pieces to Raven one by bloody one." Hell, if she doesn't come tomorrow, I'll do that. I can just imagine the face she'll make, opening up one box after the other, finding gruesome slashed eyeballs and his vital organs.

The little boy let out a small taunting whistle. I backhanded him across the face, making his eyes water slightly.

"You better count your fucking blessings, Madisons," I warned. "Raven's changed. For all I know, she may not even come to save you."

The little boy insisted, "She will. I know her."

"If you knew her, then how come you didn't see this coming?" I asked. "Because - and I'll answer this for you - you _didn't_. You never really knew her, or what she was capable of. But you will know how she feels of you tomorrow, when you sink or swim."

**^o^**

We nestled in our coffin, skin against skin. We'd just finished having sex again, and I'm really starting to think that I could really like this life with Raven. I wonder if she's pregnant, because I haven't used a condom yet. Maybe she was. We'd have a family together. Little Alexanders and Ravens, running around outside, checking out Dracula's castle. It would be perfect.

I kissed her sweaty forehead, my lips sore from all the kissing. Her eyes were closed, her lips as soft as a rose petal.

"I love you so much," I whispered, brushing away hair from her face. "I love you. I don't know what I'd do if I lose you."

I tried to imagine a life without Raven. I imagined trying to live alone in this place, memories of her still fresh. I imagined trying to get with other girls, to try and replace Raven with some vampy skank who only wanted me for my money.

I couldn't.

I pressed my lips against hers, wishing that I'd never let her go. My sweet, sweet Raven. I love you so much.


	35. Chapter ThirtyFour

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

(**A/N**: We're getting close to the end of this story. You may call this the **small beginning of the climax **of the story. I'm making this extra long to show **several POVs, all on Tuesday night**. The** first part is Raven**, **second part is Jagger**,** third part is Alexander**, and **fourth part is Luna**.

Don't worry, **Demile's gone forever **from this story. I HATED writing her.

Also, I **may write a sequel**...I have the ending for this in my mind, which opens for a sequel. But I don't know if I'll go through with it yet. For now, **enjoy this chapter**!)

I opened my eyes, and instantly hated myself. Alexander's arms weren't wrapped around my body whatsoever, thank goodness, and he was breathing in my ear gently. If I didn't have to go and die, I would snuggle up next to him and fall back asleep. But I can't. Tonight's the night.

Tonight.

Cue the cheesy "Tonight" _West Side Story_ song.

I had a plan formed in my head: I'd dress up quietly. Then I'd turn on the lights in the bathroom, lock the door, and climb out of the window. Then I'd go to the corner store and wait to be taken.

It wasn't the best plan, but it'll do.

I slowly pulled away from Alexander and cautiously lifted up the coffin lid. Stepping out of the coffin, I tucked the blankets around his naked body and closed the coffin. Then I tiptoed over to my luggage and unpacked black fishnets, a short black dress, and soft-soled biker boots (so Alexander won't wake up from my shoe stomps). After I'd shrugged everything on, I went to the bathroom and, fulfilling my plan, went through the window. As an added bonus, I turned the shower on.

That would keep Alexander distracted for a while.

I headed over to the corner store, which beamed at the corner (surprise, surprise) of one of the streets Alexander and I had zipped by in our new car. Too bad I didn't bring it. It would've been nice to be in such a sweet car before I died.

The twenty-four hour corner store's fluorescent lights did nothing to my complexion. I'd known that when I was human, and I know that now that I'm a vampire.

The guy behind the cash register was busy reading some magazine with skanky girls on the cover to notice I'd come in. It would be easy to steal things from here. I wonder if I can suck down my last slushie before I die.

But another customer enters, and soon approaches me, just as the sky finishes darkening. Sebastian.

"Hello, Raven," he said softly. "I'm glad to see you came."

I nodded, my lips pressed tightly together. I didn't want to cry now, to break down and cause a scene. That would only make the clerk suspicious, and possibly come over her and delay us, and then what will happen to my family?

"Let's go, then," Sebastian said smoothly. His smirk was edgy, full of darkness and sin. He was excited to see me die.

And to think I was going to dance with him at the Bat Bar.

We left the door, just as the clerk put down his magazine for a second. He raised his eyebrow at me, but I ignored him.

I followed after him, and slid into the passenger seat of his black Maserati. I was going to die tonight, but at least I'd get to ride in a good car first.

He drove incredibly fast, just enough for me to whimper slightly, before he stopped in front of a black mansion. Sebastian opened my door and, clasping my hands behind me, pushed me into the house and down a flight of stairs that led to an iron door.

Sebastian opened the door, chuckling slightly to himself.

The first thing I saw was Billy Boy, chained up to the wall. Mom and Dad followed suit.

"Mom! Dad! _Billy_!" I shrieked.

From out of nowhere, Jagger appeared. He smiled at me and asked, "Are you prepared to die, Raven Sterling?"

I looked around the room, locking eyes with Mom, Dad, and Billy. They smiled softly at me, but their eyes screamed, "DON'T DO IT".

"Yes," I responded. "I'm ready."

**^o^**

I stood near the door, tapping my bony fingers slightly against the brick wall. Where was Sebastian and Raven? The sun had set. They should be here.

None of the Madisons had spoken after I'd gone all Chris Brown on them. They stood there, tight-lipped, as I impatiently waited for Raven to appear.

I've wanted this moment for a while. And now I was so close to it I could just taste it. I was excited - no, _ecstatic_ - to kill Raven. The nuisance. The reason why Luna didn't get Alexander (and I refused to think that he rejected her just because he wasn't in love with her. I believe that Raven was somehow involved in it).

The doorknob turned, and, like a curtain falling, it revealed the most vulnerable person at the moment. Raven Sterling, staring around the room, ready for her doom.

She must really love her family if she would leave her _love_ and come here.

"Are you prepared to die, Raven Sterling?" I spat, as I skimmed in front of her.

She looked nervous. She was shaking. I watched Raven as she looked around the room for a bit, before answering.

"Yes. I'm ready."

I smiled. "Excellent. Close your eyes. This will only hurt for a second."

**^o^**

I woke up alone, our blankets tucked against my body. I sighed and lifted the coffin lid. I pulled on a black button-down and a pair of chained jeans, too tired to look any better. After I'd gotten dressed, I searched for Raven.

I soon found her, in the bathroom. The shower was on, and running. She was probably indulging the warm water. I don't blame her.

I sat down on the couch, and picked up a random book that had been left here when my mother and father had been here two months ago. The story (from the back cover, of course) said that the protagonist (a girl, presumably) was irrevocably in love with some vampire guy.

I threw the book at the wall, obviously annoyed by the plot.

After a while, I grew impatient. I mean, warm water was fantastic, but Raven doesn't need to take _this _long. I stood up and, going to the bathroom door, yelled, "Raven! Are you all right in there?"  
No answer.

"Raven!" I called. "Come on!"

Nothing.

I had no idea what happened just then, but before I knew it, I had punched and kicked the door so hard that it fell down.

The first thing that hit me was a light spray of steam, coming from an _empty shower_. But the _open window_ was clearing it out.

I clenched my teeth together angrily, even though I felt betrayed. Why would she leave me? I thought she loved me.

_RAVEN!_

I knew that the letter wasn't from Becky.

I ran over to her luggage and tore it open, pulling everything out until I found it. The letter. Unfolding it, I read the cruel words on the paper.

Anger spread throughout my body. She'd foolishly gone to the corner store, to die in place of her family. But it would've been more helpful if the writer of the letter proved that they had them in the first place. Perhaps a photo would help.

I headed over to the corner store, seething. As soon as I entered the store, I yelled at the clerk, "Did you see a girl come in here?"  
The dude looked up from the magazine. "I see lots of girls around here, buddy. You've got to be more specific."

"She's beautiful. Probably wore black. Came alone, but probably left with somebody." I was assuming most of that, except for the beautiful part. That was true.

The dude laughed. "Yeah, about ten minutes ago. Why?"

"Where'd they go?" I asked urgently. "She's my wife, and whoever left with her actually _took_ her."

The dude snickered, obviously not believing me. "Tough break. I don't know, dude."

I left the store, even angrier than before. By now, Raven could be dead. Killed by somebody who hated us. Probably Jagger.

"Hello."

I turned around, and found myself staring at Luna Maxwell.

**^o^**

I watched, sadly, as Alexander Sterling entered the corner store. After a brief conversation with the clerk, he headed out.

It was time to make my move.

I didn't like Jagger's idea at all. It just screamed _Twilight_. I mean, stealing away somebody's family and ordering for the person to die or their family dies? That totally screamed James.

Well, of course, he actually has the family. But whatever.

"Hello," I said softly.

He turned around and looked at me, his brown eyes turning red instantly. When he saw it was just me, he sighed. "Where the hell is my wife?"

I smiled softly. "She's going to her doom. By now, I'd say she's already at the house."

I watched him as he swore loudly. "Why is Jagger doing this to me?"

"Revenge. He just wants to kill her and get it over with." I crossed my arms over my corsetted chest. "I don't agree with his plan, so I left. I came here to get you."

Alexander looked over my shoulder, looking at Jagger's black Ducati. I'd only brought one helmet.

"You'll take me and help me save Raven?" he said softly. "Really, Luna?" I could tell he was glad for my presence.

I grinned. "You guys are in love. And if two people are in love, nothing should break them apart. Not even my brother."

I gestured to the motorcycle. "Go ahead. Take it and go, now. Raven needs you."

Alexander took the keys from me, and began to strap on the helmet. I turned my back to him, but before I knew it, he'd turned me around and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Luna," he breathed, "_thank you_."

Then he was gone.


	36. Chapter ThirtyFive

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

(**A/N**: CLIMAX. In Alexander's POV. Sorry if this greatly disappoints some people, but I told you it would be CHEESE-LICIOUS.)

I sped down the winding streets of Romania, until I got to Jagger's place. I'd been here before, back when Luna and I were preparing to be bound together. I can't believe I still remember this place.

My Raven is in there, somewhere. I need to get her before she does something drastic. Like, you know, getting killed by Jagger. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's drastic.

I thought that Jagger's place would have some security measures against me. I was right, but it was easy to get through; his outdoor guards were sleeping right against the exterior walls. By the looks of it, they wouldn't wake up if we knocked this place down with a bulldozer.

"Raven!" I yelled, pounding my fists against the front door. "Raven!"

The door didn't open. I tried kicking, punching, and beating down the door, but nothing was working. I was beginning to think that this whole thing was useless, that I would never save Raven, when...

"Dude, chill."

I turned around. Valentine Maxwell, the prepubescent vampire brother of Luna and Jagger, stood there, swinging a keychain around his index finger.

"Don't break the door. Mom'll freak out." He strode right past me and, in one swoosh, opened the door.

I grinned. The two young Maxwells were helping me so much today.

Speeding past him, I headed for the first place that I thought Raven would be: Jagger's room. But I opened the door to a ghastly room, empty of my love and my enemy.

Gritting my teeth, I barked at Valentine. "Where's Raven?"

Valentine shrugged. "Don't ask me. I just got back here."

I screeched angrily, loud enough for Valentine to cover his ears and yell, "Holy. I bet they're just down in the basement." He pointed to a set of stairs right beside the front door.

Oh.

I ran down those stairs, almost tripping on my combat boots, while Valentine followed after me. By now, my Raven could be gone forever. By now, Jagger could be laughing over her dead body. Hell, this is Jagger. He could be doing things to her-

The black door at the end of the staircase wouldn't open. I slammed my fist angrily against it, shouting, "Raven! Raven!"

The door opened, and I nearly punched the hell out of Raven's little brother.

"Alexander, relax," he said slowly. "Raven's fine."

"Where is she?" I nearly screamed. I was so built up on this anger inside of me, from her betraying me to that godawful book to Jagger planning on destroying her, that I forgot how to control myself.

Out of nowhere, Jagger patted Billy's head and gently pushed him away. "No worries, Alexander. Your Raven is absolutely fine." He gestured to the brick wall.

Raven was chained there, her eyes forcibly opened via _Clockwork Orange_. She was crying, but the tiny mechanical arms holding her eyes open wouldn't let her blink the tears away.

I turned to Jagger and demanded, "Let her go."

He chuckled. "Don't you see, Sterling? This isn't about _Raven_. This is about _you_. I wanted you to come here. And you did. My plan worked."

He grinned.

I swung my fist at his face.

"Let her go!" I yelled. "Let Raven go!"

Valentine, who was standing at the still-open doorway, said, "Jagger, just let them go."

Jagger turned to his little brother. "Are you feeling all right, Val?" He made a show of pressing his bony hand to Valentine's forehead. "I'm sure that if you're defending _them_, you must be sick."  
Valentine slapped away his hand. "Let 'em go, or I'll tell Mom."

Jagger laughed. "Mom doesn't scare me anymore, Val. Besides, they deserve to die."

"They brought me back to you," Valentine responded. "Sure, Alexander declined Luna. Sure, they were mean to me. But they resolved those issues. What do you have against them that makes you want to kill them so badly? What, are you in love with Raven or something? Or maybe you've gone on to the other team."

I stood there, stunned by Valentine's words. Was he really accusing Jagger of being gay?

Jagger laughed. "Trust me, Val, I've shagged all the girls waiting upstairs. I'm not gay."

Valentine grinned. "Good to hear it. Now that you've clarified it, let them all go. If you don't, well, I guess we can assume that you really wanted Alexander here."

Jagger seemed at a loss for words. Then, after five minutes of silence, grudgingly snapped, "Go."

Billy, Mrs. Madison, and Mr. Madison bolted out of the door. Which I thought was pretty stupid, considering it was open this whole time. If I'd been chained up for a while, I would have left as soon as that door opened just a bit.

With one swift motion, I unlocked Raven's chains and pulled the mechanical arms off her. She wrapped her arms around me, apologizing into my shoulder.

"I wouldn't've done it if he hadn't threatened to kill my family," she said. "I'm so sorry, Alexander. I love you so much, and I thought I was going to die, and-"

"Shh," I whispered. "I love you, too. Let's go get your family and go. I think it would be great if my parents hear about what happened tonight."

We turned, happiness spreading throughout my body. But just as we left the basement-

Raven let out a shrill scream. I turned to look at her, only to see a thick wooden stake protruding from her thin stomach. I stared at it for a few seconds before turning to look at a smug Jagger.

"I let you go. He didn't tell me not to kill her," he said softly.

Raven started sobbing. I wiped away the tears and, as gently as I could, pulled out the stake.

"Stakes don't kill us, Jagger," I yelled.

Jagger's expression didn't fade. "But they hurt a lot, don't they, Raven?"

Through gritted teeth, Raven told Jagger where to shove his words, before I picked her up and carried her up the stairs, where we came across an old woman in a tight lace dress. She was somewhat recognizable, but I'm not sure where from.

Geez. I thought we were done with the sluts.

She looked at me, and immediately said, "Alexander Sterling? Is that you? Wow, you've grown up."

"Thanks," I said. I remembered her instantly. She'd forced Luna and me together several times, to swing on the swings at midnight, back when we didn't know how important the ceremony was. Mrs. Maxwell.

Just then, her perky eyes caught onto Raven. "My dear! What happened?"

Weakly, she responded, "Jagger . . . stake . . ."

Mrs. Maxwell sighed. Then, in the loudest voice I've ever heard in my life, roared, "_Jagger Maxwell!_ You get your scrawny butt up here and tell me what the hell you've done!"


	37. Chapter ThirtySix

**Bloody Brilliant**

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

(**A/N**: This chapter is in Alexander's Point of View. You may call this chapter The Conclusion, if you will, but wait for another page to come up soon concerning the sequel. But I have a question for the readers at the bottom of this last chapter. So, read on! And it was great to write for you all. Hope to hear from you guys again soon!)

My Raven stood beside me, her head delicately pressed against my shoulder. We were staring at our home, freshly painted a rich shade of ebony. Way better than its shabby black.

"I'm going to like it here," Raven mumbled.

I kissed her forehead. "I'm going to like having you here. Romania is so boring without a few life-threatening situations."

Her family had left Romania just two days ago, after spending several nights living in our home. My parents came over and we all had a so-called family reunion. Of course Raven's parents were shocked about our marriage, but they quickly got over it and bought us some housewarming gifts. They told us (while Raven blushed) to call them for the baby shower.

Yes. Raven is having my baby. A little Sterling-Madison is heading our way. But it won't be for a good eight months, so it's all right. My parents are ecstatic about it. I'm kind of nervous.

Jagger's mother had heard all about his scheme to "kill" Raven and lure me into the basement to finish me off, and had made him hand leadership of the Coffin Club over to some girl regulars, Scarlet and Onyx. According to the email Raven got from the new owners, the club's doing fine. Jagger, however, isn't. He's been confined to two months' grounding.

Luna, Raven, and I are all on good footing together. Luna occasionally comes over to hang out with Raven, since we've patched up things. She's no longer annoyed by how I'd ditched her long ago. She even says that she's found somebody for herself.

Valentine had (surprise, surprise!) been in a vampire facility all this time, located secretly in Washington, D.C. Luna had explained it to us, saying that ever since he'd left home a while ago without their mother's permission (and I'd returned him) their parents had enrolled and sent him to the facility to improve himself. Basically, it's a night boarding school.

While the Madisons were here, Billy was excited to see me. He even squeezed in some time with me to talk about - you guessed it - girls. Apparently one of the girls in his class likes him, and he'd made a move a little while ago, so now they're "dating", even though they've never been out with each other. He thought she liked guys who are sophisticated, so he was trying to force everybody to call him William instead. Ah, young love. I'll never understand it.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" I flashed Raven a big smile and dragged her into our house.

Everything was cobwebbed, dusty, and beautiful. In short, everything was to our liking. But we'll clear it up when the baby comes, so that we won't immediately force it to be gothic. We'll just gradually give it spiderweb-designed pillows, black blankets, and Uglydolls instead of teddy bears.

As if Raven could read my mind, she said, "You're going to be one hell of a father, Alexander."

"True," I replied. "But you're the mother. Don't you think you're going to go quite overboard too?" I eyed her black fingernails. Obviously she was going to try and paint our baby's nails.

She blushed. "Right."

We headed into the room beside ours, nicknamed "Child Crypt", to admire our work. We'd painted the walls dark shades, and we already had a small white crib. Plus Raven's parents were going to Fed-Ex us some baby toys (all black, of course).

I stroked Raven's long black hair. A week or so ago, I thought I'd never be able to do that again. Now I'm obsessed with hair-stroking. And buying baby stuff, except for those hideous jean diapers. Oh, and eating mint chocolate chip ice cream with Raven when she has a craving and demands it.

Life with Raven is starting off good. Exhilirating, heart-pounding, death-threats-from-your-former-enemy-turned-enemy-again, but good.

(**A/N**: So my question is this: would you like to see a sequel to this? I'll check the reviews for the next few days and see how it fares. I already have a sequel in mind (actually, a companion to this story based on Valentine) but please vote away! 'Til then, I bid you all...peace! :) _**XOXO, vampirekissesxoxoxo**_)


End file.
